Mr. Speaker, it is a distinct privilege for me to participate in the events of this very important day.
I want to extend appreciation to Her Excellency the Governor General for her presentation of the Speech from the Throne. I would also like to express my gratitude to our Prime Minister for striking the right chord with Canadians between ideas and actions that are highlighted in this speech.
A Speech from the Throne has a formidable task, to touch Canadians and to improve their quality of life. For me the true value of the Speech from the Throne is determined in how it resonates in the streets of my constituency of Kitchener Centre.
My constituency office is located in the heart of urban Canada, a downtown intersection of two major cross streets. Business people, new immigrants, single mothers, tradespeople, teenagers, university students, street people and professionals walk past my window daily. In fact my window represents a portrait of what Canada looks like in the year 2004.
Three blocks west is Kitchener City Hall where our new deal for cities is met with great enthusiasm. Across from my office the school of architecture through the University of Waterloo has established the Community University Research Alliance. Education cannot be a privilege for only the rich or for those who are affluent. Grants for low income students and improving the Canada student loans program are steps toward improving access to higher learning for all.
A couple of doors from my office, Lutherwood, working in partnership with Human Resources Development Canada, offers resources for job seekers. In my community I have heard the need for updates to labour market programming. This would include growth of self-employment, continuous upgrading of skills, timely recognition of foreign trained professionals as well as workplace supports for persons with disabilities.
Today's announcement to work with the provinces on these issues will provide clear benefits to Canadians.
Governments do not create jobs. That responsibility falls to a healthy and robust economy. Debt reduction and fiscal prudence are key components of our continued economic growth.
Kitchener Centre is blessed with beautiful parks and natural spaces. However, not unlike other cities in Canada, we also have areas that need work to return to responsible use. My city has been a leader on focusing on brownfields recovery strategies.
Kitchener's streets boast a diverse cultural scene, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, the Waterloo Regional Children's Museum, the Centre in the Square as well as Theatre and Company. We can look forward to modernizing our arts and culture policies to reflect the realities of today's artistic community.
The economic argument for supporting the arts is well documented. In my region Eyego to the Arts is an initiative that offers the opportunity for students to enjoy high quality arts presentations at a reduced ticket price. The program has enjoyed a tremendous success across Waterloo region and it has cultivated an appreciation for Canada's arts and theatrical performances among the secondary school population. Eyego to the Arts has been heralded as a blueprint for a national initiative to expand audiences for arts and culture programming.
Today's Speech from the Throne makes important steps that will have a lasting imprint on Kitchener Centre. Since 1997, I have represented the people of my riding in the House. When I address school children, I make a point of mentioning that the seat I occupy here belongs to the citizens of Kitchener Centre and not to me as their representative.
The government is focused on restoring trust and accountability in Parliament and that is why an independent ethics commissioner will report to Parliament. Canadians can be confident in the integrity and the management of their government.
I also have often been asked about the partisan environment in the House of Commons. What is it like to deal with members opposite in the daily work as a parliamentarian?
I say with sincerity that while 301 members of the House come to this place with their individual ambitions and with party philosophies dictating different solutions, we are Canadians who have come together to improve the livelihood of our fellow Canadians.
We are united in a purpose to improve the quality of life for Canadians for today and for the future. That is what makes today so significant. It is the fact that we have before us an exciting insightful vision that respects the hard-earned victories of the past 10 years. It is the vision of a Prime Minister, a government, a Parliament that has its eyes focused on tomorrow.
The Speech from the Throne defines an ambitious program characterized by clear objectives, solid social foundations reinforced by a dynamic economy in step with the 21st century, and a balanced policy which will restore Canada's pride of place and influence in the world.
Significant and lasting actions take time. But that must not serve as an excuse for inaction. This government is intent on embarking immediately on the essential actions that are required, and continuing those actions, provided the resources continue to be available. Ten years from now, Canadians will see that the choices made today were the right ones for this country.
As we move forward, to borrow a phrase from author Stephen Covey, we are setting our compass rather than winding our watch.
The Speech from the Throne marks the start of a new government, a new agenda, a new way of thinking, built on partnership, opportunity, achievement and the real engagement of Canadians.
Last year I was part of a task force that engaged women entrepreneurs in a dialogue about their unique challenges and experiences. Small and medium size businesses create over 80% of the new jobs in Canada. Women entrepreneurs are creating businesses at three times the rate of men. Women were eager to share their stories. As a matter of fact, in Charlottetown 100-strong came out to our task force meeting in the middle of record low temperatures. Schools were closed and business had ground to a halt, but these enterprising women came out in great numbers to offer their solutions. These were evidenced in the report that was tabled last November.
The task force recommendations address the specific challenges that face women entrepreneurs and these can act as a blueprint for all entrepreneurs. The crux of these recommendations is evidenced in the structure of our new government.
Women entrepreneurs said that Canada needs a strategy for serving small business. We now have a parliamentary secretary focusing on small business.
Women entrepreneurs said that government must regard entrepreneurship as a viable career opportunity. We now have a parliamentary secretary who is focusing on entrepreneurship.
Women entrepreneurs said that government should re-examine the accessibility of contracts for the government procurement process. We now have a parliamentary secretary focused on the procurement review.
These are important changes that reflect priority areas. Canadians spoke and we listened.
The path of achievement begins in making sure that Canadians believe their government and believe in their government. This government will change the way things work in Ottawa by enhancing the connection between citizens and their members of Parliament. We need to work to restore trust and accountability and to develop new partnerships with other levels of government.
Municipalities want a place at the table. They want predictable, sustainable funding to support long term planning for local needs. Recent years have seen, either through intent or neglect, a downloading of services and responsibilities to municipalities. Today's announcement to provide GST relief to all municipalities will provide Canadian communities with approximately $7 billion in stable new funding.
Clearly it is at the local level where programs are delivered. National priorities such as integration of immigrants, opportunities for urban aboriginals, emergency preparedness, and responses to that, impact at the community level.Municipalities play a crucial role in how we address these priorities. Where we have a common purpose, we will join forces for a common good. How, one might ask. It is through meaningful consultation with citizens that we are best equipped to serve Canadians. During the prebudget process, Canadians were adamant that a balanced budget was key to our national sustainability and that health care was our number one investment priority. Anything less would be simply unacceptable.
The Romanow commission and the Kirby report establish that Canadians value and want publicly funded health care in this country. Today this government has made a commitment that every Canadian will have access to quality care when they need it, regardless of income, regardless of geography. To support this promise, the federal government will provide a further $2 billion in health care transfers to the provinces this year to help reduce waiting time, to invest in faster diagnoses and to provide more doctors and more nurses.
Canadians want a health care system that is accountable to them. This government will work with provincial and territorial partners and the health council to develop service objectives by which Canadians can assess the performance of their health care system.
A solid, responsive health care system must also engage Canadians as stewards of their own well-being. It is not enough to heal. We also must be more proactive in promoting healthy lifestyles as well as disease prevention.
Our challenge is to build on existing achievements in public health. Safer workplaces, vaccinations, healthier foods, family planning and tobacco prevention are all contributors to improvements in life expectancy. Canadians have a stake and they also have a responsibility in their own good health.
Our challenge is to build confidence with the help of Canadians through initiatives such as the public health care agency that will ensure Canada is linked nationally and globally with a network of centres for disease control and emergency response.
Canadians are playing significant roles in ensuring there is a high quality of life within their communities. During the consultative process of the task force on seniors, we heard of the need to strengthen the capacity of volunteers.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community services. In recent years, governments have shifted to project based funding and away from core funding. This shift has led to gaps in administration and has created a challenge for organizations trying to strategize for future priorities.
Today volunteers bring their knowledge, their expertise and their compassion to the work that they do in communities, to public policy development and within government. Volunteers strengthen citizen engagement and they give voice to the voiceless and present a multitude of perspectives on many issues.
Today's commitment to advance the voluntary sector initiative will strengthen the capacity and the voice of philanthropic organizations and help to mobilize volunteers.
This is but one example of the federal government's commitment to supporting communities' efforts to sustain viability. The government has made similar commitments in connection with water and air quality, as well as climate change.
In partnership with other levels of government and other stakeholders, we will define a plan on climate change which will be equitable, will comply with the Kyoto protocol, and will preserve the vigour and growth of our economy.
Further, the government will undertake a 10 year $3.5 billion program to clean up contaminated sites for which the federal government is responsible. In addition, a $500 million program will be developed to help remediate certain other sites, notably the Sydney tar ponds.
It has been said that emerging technologies will be a critical element in helping Canadians address the challenges of climate change.
Today's commitment to build on the extensive venture financing capabilities of the Business Development Bank will create access to capital for the commercialization of science to place Canada among the world's leaders in environment, in health, in biotechnology and in nanotechnology. This is good news for Waterloo region, which is known as Canada's technology triangle.
Using the nationwide reach of the National Research Council, the government will help small firms take their ideas to market by providing research and expertise that small businesses cannot develop on their own.
No one level of government can accomplish these lofty goals on its own, so Canada's new national science adviser will re-engage universities, colleges and enterprise to articulate a truly national science agenda.
With this vision toward the future, one cannot speak of the future and overlook our nation's most valuable asset, our children. Governments have a role to play in making sure families are getting the support and the tools they need.
Canadian families have voiced the need for more quality child care spaces and by accelerating the initiatives under the existing multilateral frameworks for early learning we can provide those spaces more quickly.
To ensure children get the best possible start in life, we will extend the understanding the early years project to 100 additional communities.
By reinstating child protection legislation, we will help to ensure the safety of our children and protect them from exploitation on the Internet.
Canada's place in the world has never been more pivotal than in the post-September 11 world that now exists. World peace can simply not be an ideal; it must be a reality. Canada has the opportunity and a responsibility to ensure democracy, freedom and human rights are fundamental rights of humanity. As U2 rock star and international activist Bono observed in his address to our new Prime Minister, “what the world needs is more Canada”. I could not agree more.
Canada has an independent voice, a respect for democracy and distinct values. We will continue to focus our international policies to reflect this trademark. Canada is a leader in third world debt relief. We will move forward on legislation to provide cheaper medications to assist the developing world, particularly in the fight against AIDS.
I second the motion on the Speech from the Throne with the firm belief that today's speech paints a vision for Canada that is broad, far-reaching and inclusive. It has always been my view that government is defined not merely by its policies but by how it implements them.
I believe, in addition to setting our compass in a direction that is right for our country, that the Prime Minister has also articulated a method that includes all Canadians so that their voices will be heard and they will share in equal measure the benefits that result.
