Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to join the debate on the budget. I could use my time today to discuss a great many things concerning this subject. Like my colleagues on this side of the House I could raise the issue of the way the Liberals sleepwalked the nation into the recession, yet they failed to put effective countermeasures into place.
My own riding of Nanaimo--Cowichan has been particularly hard hit economically for some time now. My constituents shake their heads in dismay when they hear of questionable grants that have been passed out by the government, fountains in the Prime Minister's riding and the Enron-like style accounting practices of many government departments.
I could discuss the government's mismanagement of the sinking Canadian dollar and how the Prime Minister has made the low dollar a very low priority. Sometimes people ask if Canadians are really interested in this sort of discussion and issue. I want to say that they are interested. In fact yesterday I received an e-mail from a constituent in my riding about the falling Canadian dollar. He wrote:
It's almost unbelievable; our dollar was starting to improve and then [the Prime Minister] went down to New York and turned it around again. I don't know if you or any of the caucus happened to watch his speech, but any American seeing that performance would pack up his assets in Canada for sure...I have relatives down there who can't believe we could elect such a--
I will not repeat the word he used.
Our dollar is not only dropping against the U.S. dollar, it is also dropping against the Mexican peso if you can believe it. Last year at this time a Canadian dollar bought 6 pesos. I checked at the Credit Union yesterday thinking of purchasing pesos before I went to Mexico later this month and it is now 5.2 pesos for a Canadian dollar. When [the finance minister] says that it is the strength of the U.S. dollar that is causing the problem; how can he explain our dollar crashing against the Mexican peso as well? Does this mean that the Mexican economy is stronger than ours?
These are the kinds of questions that ordinary Canadians are asking about their government and the handling of our finances. I could go on. Although Canadians have an appetite for fiscal accountability and real debt reduction, there has been no planned debt reduction included in this budget. I could speak to a myriad of different things including security and the needs of our armed forces and our intelligence gathering capabilities. My colleagues have already spoken to many of them.
Unfortunately the mental drift of the government has left our fiscal policy in disarray. We have gone for almost two years without a budget. During the past decade we have seen our standard of living drop dramatically. While our American cousins have greater purchasing power than they did in 1989, Canadians now have less. This is simply unacceptable and we in this party are very concerned about our economy if the government is not.
However I really do not want to talk about those issues. I want to talk about the need for greater accountability starting with our national budget. As the senior critic for Indian affairs for the Canadian Alliance, I am particularly interested in how this budget will affect aboriginal people in Canada. Accumulatively with all departments combined, the federal budget for aboriginal people amounts to almost $7.4 billion. That is a staggering amount of money.
One would think that with a budget that size, the economic well-being of aboriginal people would be increasing. Unfortunately we all know that many of our on-reserve aboriginal people live in some of the most deplorable conditions that could be found across North America or even many parts of the world. We must ask why this is happening.
At the same time there are many good examples of money being well used by aboriginal bands in Canada. There is the Six Nations reserve in southern Ontario. There are aboriginal businesses such as the gravel mining business of the Sechelt band on the west coast and the Membertou band which achieved ISO certification last week. These types of aboriginal businesses should set the standard for others. Unfortunately such good examples are often overshadowed by the negative aspects of federal government policy, financial mismanagement by the bands or, even worse, a combination of both.
Here is a case in point. The third party management policy of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs is clearly not working. I believe the minister is aware of the problem but changes must be made to the existing system because it is failing everyone.
Recently in Winnipeg aboriginal leaders, private businesses, banks and the Canadian Alliance member for Selkirk--Interlake met to discuss the problem. It is highly unusual to have all these players at the same table and agreeing on the main issue of the day. I am pleased we in our party could play an important role in the meeting and in bringing the matter to the attention of the House of Commons.
Simply put, under existing federal policy when a band is placed in third party management the directive is to only address the current and future primary needs of the band. If a band has mismanaged its financial affairs outside assistance may be necessary. We recognize that. However the private businesses that have provided goods and services in good faith and under contractual agreements are left out in the cold.
The minister has stated that the federal government has no responsibility for private businesses. He says if private businesses want to be paid they should resort to the court system and sue the band. Have hon. members ever tried getting blood out of a stone? Most of the assets of the band are the property of the crown and therefore cannot be seized or have a lien placed against them. Sure, private businesses can undertake the expense of going to court and even win a successful judgment. However they can do nothing when they have claimed the judgment because it is worthless.
If the minister wants accountability let us start by introducing budgetary changes that address the problem. When the few bands placed in third party management default on bona fide contracts the good reputation of all other bands is tarnished as well.
Peace Hills Trust, an aboriginal bank owned by the Hobbema band, has stated that the current policy is causing it to be far more cautious in its lending practices. A number of businesses across Canada are refusing to do any kind of business with aboriginal peoples. This is unacceptable. It will not help economic stimulation on reserves if this keeps going on.
In the midst of all these problems houses and schools still need to be built. Roads still need to be plowed in the middle of winder and dust retardant laid down in the summer. Funeral services still need to be conducted. The government's policy on the issue remains unresolved.
If people own lumber companies, chemical supply companies or funeral homes and have default judgments against previous aboriginal clients, why on earth would they continue to do business with other aboriginal clients? Many businesses are saying the same thing: Once bitten, twice shy. The defaults of a few bands are harming the business relationships and opportunities of the remaining bands. Yet possible solutions are not apparent in the budget or the government's legislative agenda.
If I could make recommendations to the minister and his officials they would be something like this: First, he should level the playing field for everyone. Second, he should bring accountability to the forefront for both his department and the bands. Third, he should use the good examples of many bands across Canada today as a training model for others. Fourth, he should set up a system that will ensure businesses that provide goods and services to bands are not left holding worthless court judgments.
The reputation of aboriginal people has been harmed enough over the years due to poor government policy. If the government drafts new workable changes it will have the full support of the aboriginal community, private businesses, banks and, yes, perhaps the opposition parties. If it introduces this kind of legislation we will all work to speed it through the House.
In conclusion, I am disappointed in the budget and in the aspects of the bill before us. The last throne speech promised big things for aboriginal people. The Prime Minister says that is one of his pet projects. The budget was an opportunity to address many of the issues before us today. However it has failed aboriginal people, private businesses and all Canadians in general.