Mr. Speaker, our prairie cities are being provided a golden opportunity to educate and train a new workforce. This influx of young people eager to work and contribute will enhance the diversity of our cities even as they remain closely tied to their traditional communities and families.
Eventually every prairie city of significant size, along with other cities across the country, will experience the arrival of the urban aboriginal.
Accordingly, as we debate the merits and problems of renewing urban infrastructure, we must also plan and address the issues surrounding the urban aboriginal strategy, especially in western Canada.
By working together with the provincial and city governments, the service providers of first nations and the Métis federations, we must overcome the difficulties and roadblocks and improve, not only the life chances of aboriginal people but as well the life chances of our cities.
It is imperative that we stop protecting departmental turf and hiding behind the cloak of jurisdiction. It is critical that all involved promote interdepartmental integration, intergovernmental cooperation and interagency communications. Without this any significant change will be constrained and all our communities will be poorer for it.
What we do today to ensure that aboriginal peoples have the foundation to fully participate in Canada's prosperity well into the future will be critical to the continued growth of the nation.
In my very first speech in this chamber I spoke of my desire to ensure the safety and well-being of children. Our government proposes in this throne speech to build on and enlarge its commitment to the youngest members of society.
As the Prime Minister stated recently, “There are too many children who are not getting a good start in life.” I am pleased today to see that we have further plans being put in place to address the issue. I am heartened to see the proposed reform of the Criminal Code to increase the penalties for abuse and neglect.
Recently I met with the president of an important Manitoba organization who told me of driving by the Freighthouse Community Centre in the heart of downtown Winnipeg. He said that it was a very hot day and the swimming pool was open but so overcrowded that a line of children was reaching down the block from the pool, all waiting for a turn in the cool water. It saddened him and it saddens me. If what it takes is more or better facilities, like pools for kids to simply be kids, we must work harder to meet such needs.
This example of a pool in the inner city of Winnipeg could be simply designated as a municipal issue, but I believe this problem presents an opportunity for what I spoke of earlier. The need for intergovernmental and interagency cooperation through infrastructure negotiations at many levels is clearly demonstrated and a cooperative result could benefit the kids we see lined up at the pool.
The government has not ceased in its efforts to reduce the number of children living in poverty. In 1996 the percentage of children living in poverty in this country stood at 20.4%. By 1999 we have managed to reduce this number to 17.2%, an improvement but there is still much to be done.
The additional federal support promised in today's throne speech for programs like the national child benefit, increased access to quality child care and early childhood learning opportunities, the very successful headstart program, and the early childhood initiative will provide increased opportunities for children. The focusing of these programs to poor families will have a significant impact on the lives of many children, to say nothing of their parents.
I want to make particular note that the health issue of fetal alcohol syndrome will be receiving more funding for both the prevention and treatment of those children at risk.
The Prime Minister has said many times that all children should have the opportunity to be the best that they can be. I am proud to be associated with a government that continues to strive to achieve such a goal.
I am passionate about the need to ensure the west's continued growth. I am also passionate about realizing the ambitions and fulfilling the dreams of those countless pioneers and visionaries who extended Canada's domain to the western sea, who in their time made western Canada a breadbasket to the world, and who, in our time, have provided some of the major engines of national as well as regional growth, development and prosperity.
Fulfilling that dream will require us to grapple with many issues, some of which I have already touched on, but there are more, one of which is immigration. Put simply, the west wants, indeed the west needs, more people. Western Canada was a multicultural society long before the word multicultural entered our everyday language. In Canada we in the west consider ourselves the pioneers of multiculturalism.
Last December the Governor General in a speech to the Canadian Club in Winnipeg, while speaking of Winnipeg but with application elsewhere in the Prairies, said:
Manitoba was, and remains, the microcosm of multicultural life together. Here we see the triumph of individual character and sheer will to survive. Here we see the triumph of a different vision of society, one that is egalitarian, diverse, multicultural.... Here we see the cradle of the great Canadian experiment in people of all backgrounds living together in relative harmony and toleration.
We in the west will continue to welcome people from any and every part of the globe to western Canada. In my own community of Winnipeg South Centre there are community agencies actively recruiting new Canadians, be they from Argentina, the Philippines, Eastern Europe or elsewhere.
One of the major hurdles facing new immigrants when they arrive in this country is the recognition of their overseas credentials. Canadians will be pleased to see the government committed to addressing the barriers to the recognition of international credentials.
I spoke earlier of the need for a new workforce. Immigrants will be part of this workforce. The fast tracking of skilled workers with jobs identified in Canada will assist agencies in their recruitment. The aggressive recruitment of talented students and workers at home and abroad will be welcomed. I am also pleased to see targeted measures for children of recent immigrants to learn French and English and many supports for their families.
In two weeks, I am proud to say, Winnipeg will be host to the first provincial immigration ministers conference. What more fitting place than the gateway to the west for a conference on immigration?
The Laurier government of the first decades of the 20th century populated the west. Let us continue that grand work in these new decades of the 21st century.
Over the past few months I, like many others in the House, have consulted widely with constituents, communities, health care providers and others in our respective communities. It is clear that people are concerned about the health care system. They are concerned about the costs. They are concerned about having enough health care professionals. They are concerned about their ability to access the system. They are concerned about the lack of preventive measures. They are concerned about the long term viability of our system.
One thing they all agree on is the need for change. They support the Romanow commission and they are looking to the government to address the issues and present viable alternatives.
Today's throne speech reaffirms the commitment of holding a first ministers conference on health care in early 2003 after the Romanow report is presented to the government. The government's openness to reform will be applauded by all Canadians.
The issues involved with the provision of health care across the country are many and complex. Today's commitment by the government to a comprehensive plan for reform, to strong preventive measures and to the required long term investments are what Canadians have been looking for. The government's action on health promotion and disease prevention in cooperation with partners concerning the many first nations is noteworthy and most timely.
In closing, I wish to say to all members in the House that we occupy a unique and privileged position. As the representatives of citizens in a democracy, we are here to consider and debate the issues of the day, to plan to the best of our abilities and to pursue policies for the benefit and well-being of our people.
This is a great country despite the naysayers who have been highly vocal in recent times. Being a great country, it deserves the very best of our time, our talents and our energy.
I look forward to continuing to work not only with my colleagues here in government, but with members of all parties who are here representing our citizens in all their diversity from every part of Canada. Therefore it is with both humility and pride that I second the motion on the Address in Reply to the Speech From the Throne.