Debates of Oct. 24th, 2007

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I can go back in history. It was a Liberal government that brought in the old age security program for seniors in 1952. It was a Liberal government that brought in the Canada pension plan in 1966, the guaranteed income supplement in 1967 and a national health care program in 1968. It does not stop there.

It was the previous government that—

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

Order, please. Resuming debate.

The hon. member for Sydney—Victoria.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in my place in reply to Her Majesty's Speech from the Throne.

I am pleased that the good people of Sydney—Victoria, from New Waterford to Iona to Pleasant Bay and all the communities in between, continue to provide me with support.

I have to echo the words of my colleagues and others. We just cannot trust the Prime Minister and the Conservative government. There is no better example than the Atlantic accord.

Prior to this sitting of Parliament, the Prime Minister summoned the Nova Scotia premier to Ottawa for a press conference to announce that a new deal had been reached. This was a new side deal that his finance minister said would never happen. Where is the finance minister these days? He is cross-border shopping.

Now we find there is no agreement after all. There is no memorandum of understanding, no signed deal. An editorial cartoon in the Cape Breton Post indicated that the so-called deal was written on the back of a napkin at Burger King.

The Prime Minister promised to honour the Atlantic accord, but instead he broke his word. Just like Brian Mulroney with the Canada pension plan, the Prime Minister broke a trust.

Another thing that most of my colleagues do not realize is my riding of Sydney—Victoria has the largest aboriginal population in Atlantic Canada. The Conservative government broke Canada's trust when it reneged on the Kelowna accord. I believe the government has an opportunity to regain that trust by implementing the Kelowna accord.

Today I will be given an opportunity to show the Conservative government that it can redeem itself. There are several commitments in the throne speech that could result in some significant progress being made on issues facing our country and my constituency.

Recently our leader charged me with the task of holding the government accountable on issues relating to small business and the tourist industry. Despite the fact that we have large oil projects and mineral deposits and large manufacturing companies, the reality is small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy.

I will quote from page 11 of the throne speech, which states:

Key sectors including forestry, fisheries, manufacturing and tourism are facing challenges. Our Government has taken action to support workers as these industries adjust to global conditions and will continue to do so in the next session

Those are fine words. The Conservative government has a funny way of supporting tourism businesses in adjusting to the global economy. As our dollar went up, the government eliminated the GST visitor rebate program. This was a program that allowed visitors to receive a rebate when they paid the Canadian GST tax. This was not new. All G-8 countries do this, but the Conservative government has taken it away. When the dollar is going up and the tourist industry is facing a crisis, the Conservative government gives the industry another disadvantage. If the government truly wants to help our tourist sector adjust to global conditions, it should reinstate the GST visitor rebate program in this session.

Page 10 of the throne speech indicates:

By investing in our transport and trade hubs, including the Windsor–Detroit corridor and the Atlantic and Pacific gateways, our Government will help rebuild our fundamentals for continued growth.

The government has another opportunity to redeem some of the trust it has lost.

The port of Sydney in my riding is an important east coast port with enormous potential. During World War II, Sydney was second only to Halifax as an important convoy hub. Once again there is an opportunity for this port to regain its rightful place.

Recently our local businesses, the port authority and the government sponsored a port master plan. The private sector and the government are working together, but they need infrastructure commitments. Twenty-five million dollars would be enough to dredge part of Sydney Harbour and make it one of the best deepwater ports on the Atlantic coast. It would also open the harbour to a lucrative container trade.

It is very easy to dredge and the materials that they dredge could be used for supplying another ship berth for the cruise industry.

I would like to state in the House that this season alone Sydney received 45,000 visitors on cruise ships, exploring the many treasures on our island. Next year, the port of Sydney will see 80,000 passengers. The industry is growing, but it requires infrastructure support.

The bottom line is this. For a small investment from the government, Sydney will create thousands of jobs and provide a strategic gateway for goods shipped to Canada, which will go to the rest of North America.

I continue on through the throne speech. There are opportunities for those guys. On page 15 of the throne speech, it indicates that the “new infrastructure plan” of the government “will promote a cleaner environment by investing in public transport and water treatment”. However, very important, its says “that it will also clean up contaminated sites.”

Once again, there is an opportunity for the government to regain trust, an opportunity to act. Is this saying that it will act?

New Dawn Enterprises is in my riding. It is a non-profit grassroots operation. It has a serious problem with a contaminated site. It was formerly a DND site. It is called the radar base. New Dawn is providing affordable housing in this park. It has taken the site, which the government did not need, and turned it into affordable housing, a very good initiative. However, it has run into a brick wall because the Department of National Defence continues to drag its feet in cleaning up the site.

I strongly urge the Minister of National Defence, who is also the minister for the province of Nova Scotia, and we would think that would kind of click in, to instruct his department to clean up the site so New Dawn can continue with its good work in the community.

In combing through the throne speech, I have seen tourism only mentioned once. The government has no idea how important tourism is to our economy, both nationally and regionally. The government has done little to help the free flow of people coming across our borders from the U.S. It has done nothing. The least it could do is invest in some of these tourist projects and signature events.

I will allude to one event that is coming up. It is the 100th anniversary of the first flight in the British Commonwealth, and that happened in Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1909. We will be celebrating that in 2009.

The Aerial Experimental Association was headed by Alexander Graham Bell. It was founded in Baddeck the year before. It has many innovative designs that we see today on a lot of our planes.

What I am getting at is this. For some reason, our governments, not only provincial but federal, have not committed to this number one signature event. This event has national significance and it could take place right in Cape Breton.

Local organizers are doing a great job, but there is no assistance from either levels of government. I therefore urge the Prime Minister to take an active role in making this great even into one of the best things that could happen in Canada in 2009, an event that should be celebrated not only in Cape Breton, but right across the country.

What we have is a government that talks a good game. For two years the government has harped about the need for infrastructure, for getting tough on crime, lowering taxes and making us more competitive. It has announced programs, but no one knows how to get an application. In short, the government has done nothing but spin stories. When it comes to actually doing something, it falls short.

Minority governments should be working for Canadians. However, the government has chosen not to work with the opposition parties. We know what happened in 1963 and 1965 with Lester Pearson's minority government. Health care, a pension plan and our flag came about. Unfortunately, the government does not see this.

I have one last example. I introduced a bill to help sick people on EI benefits. It was passed in the House, but it was blocked by the government. There is not an MP in the House who does not witness these cases in his or her riding. I urge the government to restore the compassion and implement the changes for the vulnerable and sick.

This, along with the previous initiatives I stated, should be acted on. The Conservatives have a great opportunity to show some leadership with the financial situation that the Liberals gave them. They should show some leadership and act now.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will begin by commenting that I have been on a cruise ship. I have been to the member's riding and it is a lovely part of the country. The hospitality of the people of Sydney and Cape Breton is unparalleled in my opinion. A wonderful time was demonstrated to everyone on the ship. The member should know that and he should be very proud.

I do have a couple of questions for the member. He has asked that the government show some leadership. I would argue that the government has shown tremendous leadership, particularly on the economy, which has expanded greatly under this government. Economic productivity continues to grow. Our employment numbers continue to drop. We have seen salaries expanding and, at the same time, we have seen taxes reduced, enormous infrastructure commitments, including to the Atlantic gateway.

We have made a number of commitments that are good for Nova Scotia. The member for Central Nova and the member for South Shore—St. Margaret's worked very hard for a clarification on items in the 2007 budget. There have also been significant commitments on the Atlantic gateway, the frigate retrofit, which we heard about in the summer, really positive things for Nova Scotia, without mentioning the significant commitments to ACOA and so forth.

The government has brought forward a number of great things for Nova Scotia. Perhaps the member might like to comment on a number of those.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, good things from the government are few and far between in Cape Breton. I am glad the hon. member has visited Cape Breton. We welcome all members and people from across the country to come for a visit.

He sees the need for the infrastructure for cruise ships. I encourage the member to talk to the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to have the harbour completed so we can have more cruise ships arriving.

The member talks about all the things the Conservative government has done across the country. What is missing most of the time is compassion. We see this time and time again in the programs that the government is dropping. We see what they are not doing for seniors, for literacy groups, for women's groups, for minorities and the list goes on. My bill is a prime example. The bill would have helped people who have become sick and who have fallen between the cracks, but the Conservative government leaves them to go flat.

The member asked what has been done in Nova Scotia. What was done was the offshore accord was ripped up. This is one of the worst things that could have happened to Nova Scotia. We are still patiently waiting for this new agreement, which the government is supposed to put in place. This is one of the biggest travesties by the government.

The previous Liberal government did the hard work. The previous Conservative premier worked hard with the Hon. Paul Martin. They did the work and put the agreement together.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

Order, please. The hon. member is not yet free to refer to the former prime minister by his first name. He is the member for LaSalle—Émard.

The hon. member for Ottawa Centre.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with some of the comments my colleague from the other side has made. I agree that the Speech from the Throne is lacking in support for everyday people. In fact, I also believe the throne speech is taking Canada in the wrong direction.

He has enunciated many points about what is lacking and, as I said, I could not agree with him more. Why then would the Liberals consider supporting the throne speech by acquiescing and sitting on their hands? Since they still have some time for reconsideration, will he encourage his leader to stand up with our party and vote against the Speech from the Throne?

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the speeches this afternoon and the questions from the NDP, which are very consistent. It is comical that the NDP members put those characters in government and now they expect us to throw them out. That is an easy way to put it.

There is an opportunity in this throne speech for the Conservatives to act. I know the NDP members are not too concerned about the $300 million and some for each election that they spin out. They should be accountable for what they cost the taxpayers by flipping these elections every couple of years. This is a travesty.

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Secretary of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, I will split my time with the Minister of Health.

It is always a pleasure to share a forum with him. Just this morning, we were together to announce the implementation of the Healthy Canadians website, which seeks to inform Canadians on food and product safety. This is good news, because it means that, at last, a government is taking action in this area.

I am also pleased to rise to stress the importance of protecting our environmental heritage in the Canadian North.

Canadians see the North as a reflection of our deepest aspirations, including our will to explore and discover the beauty and the wealth of our land, as well as the incredible potential of our country. At the same time, the environment is the single most important issue for Canadians. To protect the environment is to protect the identity of Canadians. This is why protecting our environmental northern heritage will be one of the main focus of the government's northern strategy, which was announced last week in the Speech from the Throne. Concrete measures were proposed to protect the Canadian Arctic.

The Liberals, who were in office for 13 years, did not develop any plan to protect our sovereignty in the Canadian North. Their inaction is one of the reasons why the North needs our attention and actions more than ever.

The time for talk is over. As the Prime Minister said regarding our defending the North, we must use it or else accept losing it. It is as simple as that. Of course, this government intends to use it.

Our government's intention to replace Canada's largest icebreaker and to conduct a comprehensive mapping of Canada’s Arctic seabed are obvious signs of its commitment to the North. Good governance in the Arctic also requires that we increase Canada's scientific knowledge on the North's unique environment. Scientific research and development are critical to the defence of the Canadian North, in that they allow us to increase our knowledge of that region and also our presence.

Because of the great expanse of the Arctic, the complexity of the science involved and the monitoring necessary to understand this diversified region, we will build a world-class arctic research station that will be on the cutting edge of arctic issues. This station will be there to serve Canadians and the entire world.

Major investments in the north include $150 million to promote research and science as part of International Polar Year. With these initiatives, we are currently looking at the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle and the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems in the Arctic and on the relationship between climate change and contaminants.

The importance of protecting the fragile ecosystems of the north was stressed in our government's budget 2007, which announced funding for a massive expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada. An additional parcel of land covering an area of 5,400 square kilometres within the ecosystem of the greater Nahanni area, where species such as the grizzly and woodland caribou are found, will be protected.

As part of budget 2007, our government also earmarked $10 million in funding for the establishment of protected areas in support of the Northwest Territories protected areas strategy.

This government is also looking toward the future. Canada's north is a resource-rich area. There was a time when the existence of many mineral deposits was known, but these were inaccessible due to limitations in terms of technological capacities, transportation and infrastructure. Today, the possibilities are endless. Northern economic development could contribute significantly to Canada's overall economic growth as well as create jobs.

The far north issue is a source of concern for a majority of Canadians. In our ridings, people often stop and ask us what action will be done to deal with threats coming from outside the country. As government members, we are then proud to be able to tell them that action has finally been taken after so many years of inaction and that it is in blank and white in the Speech from the Throne. We have reason to be proud.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while my friend claimed to be talking about new investments in the north, this is extremely new information in terms of what has actually been laid out and paid out.

That brings me to the question of what is happening in our cities. In the Speech from the Throne, cities were entirely ignored. In fact, we have infrastructure falling apart. Bridges are falling down in Montreal. In the capital here, we have infrastructure needs. What is the government doing? It is turning around and selling off buildings so it can hand over money to the private sector.

My question to my friend here is this. Where are the investments for everyday Canadians and why is the government not investing the $14 billion of the surplus in our infrastructure?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. First, the positive aspect of my message is that we are talking about investments in Canada's north. We know this is a major concern. After many years of inaction, this government is taking the necessary action. This is encouraging and will benefit all of Canada.

At the same time, my colleague's question gives me a chance me to reiterate the commitment of the federal government. In presenting the “Building Canada” plan, my honourable colleague, the Minister of Transport announced $33 billion over the next seven years for infrastructure. That is the largest investment in Canadian infrastructure since World War II. This news is cause for celebration. As my colleague was saying, after too many years of inaction, infrastructures have aged and become obsolete in some areas. Thus, in the last federal budget, the government put in place concrete measures.

I refer my colleague to the related line objects. The figures do not lie. We can be very proud and very hopeful about the future since measures will be taken by the Canadian government in the area of infrastructure as well as the development of Canada's far north and the protection of the environment in this territory.

[Louise Thibault, Independent, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think that those listening to us must find these debates boring and repetitive. Several times each day, colleagues from all parties address the House in a completely partisan fashion and allude to years of inaction by their predecessors. If they ever return to power, they will do the same thing. This brings nothing to the debate and gives nothing to the people we represent.

Thus, I will give my colleague who just spoke the opportunity to provide concrete—because he spoke of tangibles a bit earlier—actual, down-to-earth examples, for the good of Canadians and Quebeckers, of what this government will do in future. I do not want to know about its intentions; I want to know what concrete action it will take to tackle poverty, especially the poverty suffered by our seniors who—although they receive the maximum guaranteed income supplement—live well below the poverty line. This is a shameless lack of respect.

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question. At the risk of boring her, I will take this opportunity to say that this is not just about the inaction of previous governments. In reality, our government has done a number of things. I mentioned the announcement of $33 billion for infrastructure over the next seven years. I also spoke about development in Canada's north.

What about seniors? The Prime Minister appointed Senator Marjory LeBreton as Secretary of State for Seniors, so a member of the cabinet is speaking on behalf of our seniors. Furthermore, taxes have been cut for seniors in recent months, representing a $1 billion tax break for them. We also increased the number of kits: 200,000 additional forms will be sent to seniors to ensure that they have access to the Canada pension plan, old age security and the guaranteed income supplement. This is concrete action.

We also started providing compassionate care benefits to help our seniors. Seniors are left alone, stuck in their hospital beds. These people shaped our country. Some people want to help them, but are not able to because they would lose job income. This way, they receive benefits.

I could give other examples. These are concrete, positive measures that have been taken since we came to power more than 20 months ago. This is not inaction; it is action.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, at this time I will be participating in the debate on the Speech from the Throne as a member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka of course, and as the Minister of Health and Minister responsible for FedNor.

Certainly, my constituents believe that the Speech from the Throne is a testament to the strong leadership that our government is providing to deliver the better Canada that Parry Sounders and Muskokans, and indeed all Canadians want. They want a government that puts them and their families first.

Clearly, the government has taken positive action and has kept its word: lower taxes, new crime-fighting laws, choices when it comes to child care, measures to improve access to health care, and solid, decisive leadership at home and abroad.

When it comes to health care, over the past 19 months we have launched many important initiatives, including: the start of Canada's very first national cancer and cardiovascular strategies: a revised Canada's food guide to healthy eating, updated for the first time since 1992; bringing mental illness “out of the shadows at last”, to use Senator Kirby's memorable phrase, by creating a Mental Health Commission; the Canadian HIV vaccine initiative and partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; support to provinces and territories to protect women and girls from HPV; and, I believe last but not least, we have made good on our commitment and supported the provinces and territories to develop Canada's first patient wait time guarantees.

Those are the results that we have worked to achieve with the throne speech of October 16. We are certainly striving for more.

I first want to address our commitments to a clean environment before I speak to the actions we are taking on food and product safety.

For far too many years, too many Canadians have come to rightfully think of rhetoric when they think about the federal government's work on the environment. However, our work is about earning Canadians' respect so that they can rightfully think that they can get results and, instead of lagging behind other countries, we want to bring Canada to where Canadians want us to be: the world leader.

This is what guided our resolve in taking immediate action in the last session of Parliament to protect Canadians from potentially harmful chemical substances.

For instance, through our chemicals management plan, we have earned recognition as the world leader in dealing with the global challenge of assessing chemicals that were introduced before modern and rigorous screening criteria were put in place.

Today we are taking action, obligating industry to demonstrate that it is safely using chemicals of greatest concern.

When it comes to air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, the need for urgent action is also clear. My colleague, the Minister of the Environment, spoke about this earlier today.

Indeed, when we look at everything that has been done, we can say that our regulatory processes are among the best in the world but, of course, there is always room for improvement.

Since 1990, medical equipment imports, for instance, have nearly tripled, food imports have more than tripled, while toys and sports equipment imports have nearly quadrupled.

To keep pace with globalization and the emergence of new technologies, we need to do a number of things, including modernizing the Hazardous Products Act.

We also need to consider changes to the Food and Drugs Act. Right now, the maximum fines under this act are minuscule compared to other industrialized countries and, therefore, hardly a useful deterrent. As a result, it is fair to consider strengthening this act's provisions to make it more effective.

Our government is also determined to improve our services for providing consumers the information we all need to make safe choices. For example, we are working to provide better information to consumers suffering from food allergies. Toward this goal, we are reviewing the policy on the use of precautionary statements for food allergens and working on options for strengthening allergen labelling regulations.

For the good of Canadians, we are moving to replace ambiguity with clarity for the sake of safety.

On the same note, as the throne speech referenced, in recent months there have been numerous situations in which Canadians were exposed to products that were substandard at best and dangerous at worst. For parents, and I say this as a father myself, most alarmingly, many of these had to do with children's toys. When it comes to our children, as parents we can say this, nothing is more precious than their health and safety, which is why we are acting immediately.

On Thursday, in Toronto, for instance, officials from my department will join the Canada Standards Association and the RCMP who will be launching their campaign to increase consumer awareness at the start of the holiday shopping season.

This summer I directed my staff to review, among other things, our existing powers and authorities on product safety so that we can work to close the gaps wherever necessary.

Today, with my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture, I had the pleasure of announcing a new website that will put at the fingertips of Canadians the latest information on toys and children's products recalls as they happen.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

What is the address?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

My colleague would like to know what that site is. It is healthycanadians.gc.ca. This gives Canadians a one stop option to get information on toy and children's products and food recalls.

With this new web tool, Canadians can now search for information on recalled toys and children's products dating back to 1995 by either the product name, the company name or the date of the recall. Going forward, this database will also include recall information on many other types of product recalls, including cosmetics, household items and sports and leisure products.

What is more, this particular site is linked to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's information on food recalls, putting vital information for Canadians in just one place.

I should also say that I am working with the Minister of Public Safety and our partners in customs and law enforcement to determine how we best can work together to keep counterfeit products out of Canada's supply chain.

I know very well that the vast majority of industry takes consumer safety very seriously and it is only a notorious few that behave irresponsibly. Make no mistake, this is where we will focus our efforts.

In conclusion, I would like to address one of the points the government emphasized in the Speech from the Throne. Throughout history, Canadians have worked together tirelessly to build the united Canada we have today: a prosperous, safe country that is respected at home and abroad.

It is our plan to work from the legacy left to us to build a safer and a better Canada today and for our future and that, above all, is what the Speech from the Throne is all about. That is why I call upon all members of this august chamber to vote in favour.

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened very attentively to the minister's speech and I noticed that he did not mention one word about wait times, one of the biggest broken promises of the government's now almost two year life.

I was reading an op-ed piece recently by I think it was a doctor or an expert in the medical field who said, “We can combat the problem of wait times if we invest more money in diagnostic equipment”.

My question for the minister is: Why are we not doing that? Would he consider that an intrusion into provincial jurisdiction? Are we not doing that because the government is too afraid to exercise its spending power?

The second question I have has to do with the blue-green algae in lakes, especially in the province of Quebec. Last week I introduced a bill to regulate phosphates in dishwasher detergent. This is the first time there will be regulations dealing with phosphates in dishwasher detergent. Why did the government not do that before? Why did it wait until there was blue-green algae in the lakes and rivers all across the province of Quebec, and it still has not acted?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member was paying attention but I did in fact mention wait time guarantees in my discourse. When it comes to wait time guarantees, we have done what no other government in the history of Canada has done. We have worked with the provinces and territories to establish Canada's first wait time guarantees in every province and every territory. We actually led the way by establishing wait time reductions and guarantees in areas of our own competency and jurisdiction, most notably among first nations on reserve.

Therefore, we are in a far better place than we were after 13 years of Liberal mismanagement when it comes to the health file, where in fact wait times doubled in this country. We are making progress that we are very proud of and that is why I mentioned it in my speech.

The hon. member mentioned blue-green algae. Of course, this is something that is of great concern to all of us, something that not only affects lakes in the province of Quebec, for instance, but in terms of other jurisdictions. I know in my own riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka this is of great concern and is an increasing problem.

I would like to inform the member that he is mistaken. We are investing $60 million in communities across Canada through our grants and contributions programs, a 29% increase over last year's funding, dealing with habitat stewardship and invasive alien species ecoaction programs. Those are the kinds of things that will make a difference.

My colleague and friend, the Minister of the Environment, is very focused on blue-green algae as an issue. We know it is an issue in many different ecosystems and lakes. Members will see from this government a concerted plan and real action on this part of the environment as on many other parts of the environment as well.

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will give the minister a quick answer. I would like to remind him that on June 12, during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, the Conservatives voted against a Bloc Québécois motion to eliminate phosphates from detergents. The minister talked about making investments to fight blue-green algae, but what we really need is concrete action.

I also listened to my colleague talk about cutting taxes to help the poorest people. Right-wing thinking currently holds sway in our society. Consider Canada's Conservative government, the American government and governments in other countries. Whenever governments cut taxes, they do not usually improve health services and education at the same time. Hardly ever, in fact. Instead, the trend seems to be that when governments cut taxes, they also cut health services, education and all of the other local services people rely on. Often, these services are privatized, making them harder for poor people to get.

If the government really wants to help people struggling with poverty, all it has to do is support the Bloc Québécois' proposals to improve the employment insurance system and put money back into an independent employment insurance fund. The government stole $55 billion from the unemployed and employers. That money has not yet been put back in spite of the Conservatives' election promises. The government should also help the manufacturing sector, which is going through a crisis in Quebec—

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

Order, please. I need to give the minister some time to respond. The hon. Minister of Health.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague.

With respect to blue-green algae, our government and our Minister of the Environment have taken steps to fix the problem, to take on this challenge. In light of our funding, our investments and our action plan, I have every reason to believe that we will make progress on this issue in the future.

On the subject of taxes, the hon. member should be aware that our tax plans involved a reduction in the GST and a further reduction to come. That is the best way to help people who are impoverished and of limited means. When we cut GST we are helping people who otherwise do not pay any other income tax. It helps the 32% of Canadians who are exempt from income tax and yet are still paying taxes by virtue of the GST.

We are on the side of hard-working Canadians. We are on the side of alleviating poverty. That is why the member should be supporting the throne speech.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, just recently the government recognized FYROM as Macedonia. The minister, being of Greek heritage, Cypriot heritage, I wonder if he can speak to the House and tell us what exactly he did in order to prevent this, or does he just go to Greek dinners and says “long live Greece” and then sits idly letting it go by.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is not really speaking to the issue but I would remind the hon. member that the last dinner we were both at he tried to take credit for the translation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms into Urdu and said that he was the one who made the translation when in fact it was the Pakistani embassy working in concert doing the translation for us. So there is another case of the hon. member taking credit for things over which he had no control, but that is typical of the Liberal Party of Canada.

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Bill Blaikie]

Order, please. It being 5:15 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the motion now before the House.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.