Debates of Nov. 27th, 2008

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to invest in infrastructure in order to maintain a reasonable economic level. More importantly, this investment would fill a need that has been developing within each of our communities and municipalities over the years. However, the government's program has shortcomings.

The investments in infrastructure must be expedited. Quebec must be the sole authority. As well, the tax reimbursed to the municipalities must be adjusted. These are the missing elements. There are too many hidden agendas in this speech. It is a fine speech, relatively flexible, and it could seem attractive to many people, but there are too many things missing. The economy is a fine topic, but it has to help the public.

Yesterday, my colleague from Terrebonne—Blainville asked the minister about preferential procurement. More than $50 billion is spent on purchases, procurement, goods and services, and it would not cost the government anything. However, if the money the government spent on goods and services was kept inside the Canadian market—by buying from our businesses—it would cost the government nothing and would breathe economic life back into Quebec and Canada. Certain aspects could be somewhat advantageous for Quebec, but, on the whole, it makes no sense.

Although many things have been left unsaid, we can see the direction the government is taking. This morning's newspapers indicated that the government wants to take away the fundamental elements of a healthy democracy, of the public's healthy expression during elections. In fact, it is trying to suffocate its political opponents through games, which, ideally, would allow it to achieve a majority. I will not describe these games, as that would be unparliamentary.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo.

I want to congratulate the members who were elected for the first time to the House and, of course, the members who were re-elected to the House on October 14.

As the first Conservative elected in Prince Edward Island since 1984 and the first in the riding of Egmont for almost 30 years, I am very pleased and proud to stand here today in the House of Commons to respond to the Speech from the Throne.

As the member of Parliament for Egmont and the regional minister for all of P.E.I., it is my responsibility to represent the interests of my constituents and all Islanders. To that end, I look forward to working with our provincial government to achieve that goal.

Like all Canadians, Islanders are concerned about the economy and how these difficult times will affect them. Our Prime Minister has shown great leadership during this global economic uncertainty and our government is committed to protecting Canada's future.

The Speech from the Throne is the government's plan for sensible leadership and strong economic management. It is our commitment to protecting Canadian families and jobs in tough economic times.

On October 30, I was chosen by the Prime Minister as the first woman to hold the office of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans as a stand-alone portfolio. I wish to thank the Prime Minister for putting his trust in my ability to execute the responsibilities of this office.

In my role as the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, one of my priorities will include a review of the Fisheries Act. I want to encourage my colleagues in Parliament, regardless of their political stripe, to recognize the importance of renewing this 140-year-old act in light of the difficult economic situation we find ourselves in and the effect it has on all Canadians and their communities. I encourage them to work collaboratively toward legislation that works for our industry to ensure that it remains economically viable and sustainable.

I want to now talk about some of the important commitments contained in the throne speech that are important to my riding. These commitments are important to the people of P.E.I. because they are facing some unique economic challenges.

First, our government remains committed to Canada's traditional industries, such as fishing and agriculture, because we believe they uphold the economic well-being of many regions and communities, such as those in P.E.I. Our government will continue to assist these industries through measures aimed at marketing Canadian products internationally while helping businesses to innovate.

In addition, our government has worked with each province and territory and has provided them with funding through the community development trust to support Canadian workers in communities affected by international economic volatility.

Our government is committed to expediting the Building Canada plan to ensure that infrastructure projects are delivered to communities as quickly as possible. We believe that modernizing infrastructure contributes to a stronger economy and a cleaner environment, with more prosperous communities.

P.E.I. has already benefited from the Building Canada plan with much needed funding for water and waste water projects around the province. The Building Canada plan will benefit P.E.I. and other provinces because it will provide them with predictable, long-term funding for infrastructure needs. The government's commitment to infrastructure funding represents the largest infrastructure commitment ever to Prince Edward Island.

During these tough times, P.E.I. farmers need to know what will be done to help farming remain viable in P.E.I. and in Canada. Our government will continue to strongly support supply managed sectors at home and in international negotiations.

The government is implementing its new growing forward programs, programs that are focused on results, reflect input from across the sector and are tailored to local needs. Most important, growing forward is a plan to build agriculture for the future and will enable provincial flexibility, which is very important, within national standards to support Canada's farmers and agriculture sector.

The government has strongly supported the fisheries on P.E.I. and across Canada. For years the industry was seeking a capital gains exemption on its licence transfers. For most, this is their retirement fund as they have no pensions. Our government has delivered to fishers on that item. We have provided more permanent funding of $20 million annually to small craft harbours and we have hired more than 165 new fisheries officers over the last three years.

Our government has supported wind energy initiatives in P.E.I., which has allowed P.E.I. to become a leader in wind energy production.

We have a thriving aerospace sector in P.E.I., with hundreds of people from my riding working in this area, and it is expanding steadily.

There have been a number of initiatives that our government has undertaken to assist workers in Canada. The community development trust, which I mentioned earlier, also supports a wide variety of initiatives aimed at job training, skills development and community transition plans that will foster economic development and create new jobs.

The targeted initiative for older workers, which is the federal-provincial employment program that provides employment activities for older workers and helps them stay in the workforce, has been very well received on Prince Edward Island.

The labour market agreement with the provinces to address the gap in labour market programming for those who do not qualify for training under the EI program was also well received. This problem was evident as I would often speak with people who felt that they were in dead-end jobs that they could not afford to leave because they did not qualify for assistance under the EI program.

I also would like to share with the House that one of the most well received programs that our government has implemented is the pension income splitting for seniors. This made a significant difference to many seniors in our province.

I also want to salute our government's commitment to our veterans. They are a big part of all of our communities and I am proud that the government has shown support to them by enhancing the veterans independence program and establishing the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman.

I would be remiss if I did not thank the voters of Egmont and the many volunteers who worked tirelessly on my campaign during the election. It was a true exercise in democracy and an example of what makes Canada such a great country. The election results came down to the very last poll. My opponent requested a recount, which was carried out shortly after election day. What makes this so great is that no one was hurt, no one was imprisoned and everybody participated not only in the recount but in the entire campaign peacefully. We must keep in mind that Canada is the greatest country on earth for those very reasons.

Canadians can be assured that our government is doing everything possible to ensure they are protected during these difficult and uncertain economic times. As the regional minister for my province, I am very proud to say that I am the voice of Prince Edward Island at the cabinet table. Our Prime Minister has provided a steady hand in a time of global economic influx. By all reports, Canada is at the top when it comes to being in a position to weather this economic downturn. I think that can be attributed to the forward-thinking of the government and our very capable leader.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased the minister mentioned in her remarks the P.E.I. farmers. However, she talked about thePrime Minister, the same Prime Minister who allowed us to lose 85% of our hog farmers in Prince Edward Island in the last year, the same Prime Minister who allowed our beef farmers to get into trouble and the same Prime Minister who insulted Prince Edward Island potato and cash crop farmers with the offer of one cent a pound for water damaged crops.

Is the member saying that the Prime Minister will now do something different and actually support P.E.I. potato, cash crop, hog and beef farmers, which he clearly has not done in the past?

I can tell the minister where the Conservatives can find the money. The Conservative government now has, as was pointed out yesterday, the most bloated cabinet since the Mulroney days. It has more cabinet ministers since the Mulroney days. Twenty million dollars to thirty million dollars has been wasted on political contingency funds by the new cabinet for political purposes.

If your Prime Minister is showing sensible leadership, like the minister claims, is the minister willing to make a commitment today that she will work to reduce the size of that cabinet so that the money can be spent in sensible places instead of the Prime Minister's ideological agenda for political purposes?

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. I heard the hon. member for Malpeque use the second person in addressing some of his remarks. I would just remind him to use the third person at all times.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, in response to my hon. colleague from Malpeque, I will point out that the government did provide $6 million to the beef plant in Albany. It also provided $12 million to potato farmers who were in desperate need of funding.

The government has transferred more money to Prince Edward Island than any other government in federal history.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the minister to the House and to the unenviable task that she has in trying to run the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as a minister. The tradition has been that ministers have taken over the top spot and have been told by the department what they will and will not do. I hope her steady hand is different.

On the north coast of British Columbia we have lost upwards of 80% of our commercial fishing fleet in the last seven years. We have watched the decimation of fish stocks and the mishandling of the entire industry by the department where decisions are made by the 1,850 bureaucrats here in Ottawa while on the ground officers are being cut. We lost 75 last year and more the year before.

My question is very simple. Is the minister willing to consider the fundamental reforms that are required for the fishing industry, relooking at the salmon quotas that have been shoved down fishermen's throats and looking at EI reform that would allow shore workers to actually access the program that they have paid into? Also, has the minister been to the north coast and, if not, is she willing to visit?

I have talked to the owners and operators on the coast. They told me that they had extended offers to the two previous department ministers but that they had refused to come and talk to the people who were actually affected by the decisions made in this place.

If the minister is really looking to do something different, showing up in the communities that are most affected by the decisions that she and her department will make, is she willing to visit the communities of Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii and other coastal communities and actually talk to the people affected? I think that would go along way toward improving relations between the people affected--

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that I have had no less than 20 invitations to visit the west coast and I have committed to be there as soon as possible. I look forward to meeting the stakeholders in the industry.

I have said right from the beginning that my guiding principles for the department would be on sustainability, economic viability and consultation. Consultation is so important because it is the future of the stakeholders of this industry that we are talking about.

Therefore, I am committed to consultation with the industry and I look forward to getting to British Columbia.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

We have enough time for a very quick question. The hon. member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles.

[Luc Desnoyers, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, we learned that two more parts plants in Ontario will be closing. We are all well aware that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in Quebec and in Canada over the past few years in key sectors: forestry, communications, and automobile and parts manufacturing.

Today, the government is waking up and saying that it plans to do something, but everyone knows that once the parts plants close, we will keep getting parts from other countries to continue manufacturing things here.

What is the government prepared to do to stop these closures and ensure that the parts used to manufacture products here are made here?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I know our government is actively pursuing trade agreements which we hope will open markets for Canadian products. As far as private businesses, we cannot dictate to them what they do or what they buy but we certainly do promote made in Canada.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to respond to the Speech from the Throne.

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge a few key people, as this is my maiden address in this House. Although a long-time resident of British Columbia, I did grow up in Ottawa where, as a young child, my parents nurtured an interest and a respect for politics. To this day, they continue to enjoy healthy debate on many of the areas of interest to Canadians. This debate has now become even more vibrant as I begin my new role.

My husband, Gord, has always been a wonderful support and this was proven yet again by celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary at a public debate during the campaign.

I would also like to thank my children, Scott, Jamie and Alison. Although busy with their own lives at university, they provided endless volunteer energy and time, particularly through political cyberspace. This, they inform me, is the mechanism for engaging youth, and I will do my utmost to incorporate this during my mandate.

To see the energy and commitment of my campaign manager and volunteers during the election was truly a humbling experience, and, of course, the biggest thanks of all goes to my constituents of Kamloops--Thompson--Cariboo who have entrusted me with the privilege of being their member of Parliament. I am incredibly fortunate to have this diverse and beautiful riding and my commitment is to represent them with knowledge, energy and honour.

In my short time here, I have come to appreciate the unique backgrounds of my hon. colleagues in the House. I believe this will add richness to the debate as we grapple with the many challenges ahead. I myself left Ottawa 27 years ago and have spent those years working at the coal face in urban, rural and remote communities. Politics was not my life path but it is my opportunity to bring these many years of experience and reflection to the dialogue.

I now would like to make some general observations about the Speech from the Throne and then I will focus on a few areas of particular interest to me.

We are experiencing escalating complexity in our world, whether it is with the environment, global financial markets or delivering health care. We no longer live in the much simpler world of our great-grandparents. As Plsek noted, the traditional ways of getting our heads around problems are no longer appropriate. Even Newton's clockwork universe in which problems can be broken down into smaller ones, analyzed and solved by rational deductions is an approach for the past.

It goes without saying that our financial system is global and that there are a number of individuals and countries that have the freedom to act in ways that are not always totally predictable. These actions directly affect us as a nation. We are all interconnected. One agent's actions change the context for all other agents. As such, the Speech from the Throne acknowledges the seriousness of our economic situation, the importance of working globally and the need to be adaptive in our response.

Complexity requires that we try multiple approaches and let directions arise by observing what is happening around the world and gradually shifting time and attention to those strategies that work the best.

I have listened to the opposition members as they debated the throne speech and they have made mention of the lack of a detailed plan. This is simply not true. Although I am not an economist, the approach proposed in the throne speech acknowledges the seriousness of the situation and provides for an adaptive approach to a very complex problem.

Accessible and effective health care has been the focus of my education and career and will always remain near and dear to my heart. It is important for all members to remember that our health care system ranks as one of the most serious concerns among Canadians. We also need to understand the challenges faced by the provinces in meeting this growing demand. This is why it was with great personal appreciation that I noted in the Speech from the Throne the ongoing commitment for long-term, fair and predictable transfer payments.

However, we all must recognize that our health care system cannot continue long term with exponential growth, consuming ever increasing amounts of the budget. I, therefore, support our commitment to creative measures to tackle major heart, lung and neurological diseases and to build on the work with the Mental Health Commission of Canada. It is important to emphasize the word “creative”. I will give two specific examples from my riding as to how the federal government's commitment to innovation has provided the seeds for creative, systemic change and the ability to reduce expensive, acute care utilization demands.

The first example is focused on special support for heart disease. Funding provided from Infoway Canada for patients with congestive heart failure created a pilot home monitoring program. Patients went home with special equipment to monitor their condition and expert support only a telephone call away. The results were incredibly positive in terms of reduced hospital admissions and patient confidence.

Another example was an innovative practice for patients with lung disease, which, by the way, is another significant cost to our acute care system. Federal targeted funding for primary health care transition saw respiratory therapists and other practitioners working with family doctors. This program supported prevention, early diagnosis, nicotine cessation and exercise. This again had a strong, positive impact on patients.

In both these examples it was the federal government's transition dollars that leveraged new approaches. Ultimately prevention and innovation will be critical for the long-term sustainability of our health care system.

Local government has always struggled with the need for ongoing support for basic infrastructure. The applications and lineups are always long for much needed water and sewage treatment facilities and the costs prohibitive without federal and provincial support.

It is ironic when a local government is under order from the Medical Health Officer to upgrade a water system or written up by the Ministry of Environment for exceeding effluent permits, but does not have the balancing government financial support.

Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo is dealing with three transnational highways and too often we are dealing with tragedies and deaths from accidents on some of the challenging sections of our roads. The throne speech commitment to the building Canada plan will not only support vital infrastructure needs, but also create important economic stimulus during these challenging times.

Government is not simply about administration of silo departments. We often have overlapping interests and the ability to create multiple wins. The throne speech commitment to introduce sensible policies that can help consumers improve our environmental well-being can be met in many ways.

For example, in the House yesterday I paid tribute to the partnership between our government, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and one of our large ranches in the region that have now preserved over 8,000 acres of environmentally sensitive grassland that was home to many endangered species. This success is a great example that the approach to the environment does not need to be in isolation from our other interests.

I am confident that in the upcoming months there will be endless creative approaches available to us in support of other struggling industries such as forestry. Our government believes in the fundamental ability of Canadians and our industry to adapt to a changing world and will be strategic with this support.

My response to the throne speech would not be complete without acknowledging the aboriginal people of Canada and the many bands within my riding. The government's stated commitment to ensure that aboriginal Canadians fully share in economic opportunities is a critical obligation.

Kamloops is the proud base for the First Nations Taxation Commission. Officially it began its operations on July 1, 2007. The commission describes its role as helping to reduce the barriers to economic development on first nations land, increase investor certainty and enable first nations to be part of their regional economies. The FNTC will essentially fill the institutional vacuum that has prevented first nations from participating in the market economy.

It was with great pleasure that I met with the Chief Commissioner of the FNTC and heard about his vision and enthusiasm for how the commission would create practical and measurable improvements, not just a commitment of words but a translation into action.

I thank the House for the opportunity to give this speech in support of the Speech from the Throne. As I have listened to the debate over the last six days, it is clear that although we are from different parties, many of our goals for Canadians are similar. We may differ in our opinions as to the best way to accomplish these objectives, but a willingness to consider all ideas is what Canadians expect from us.

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak. I congratulate the member on her election to the House.

I appreciate the member's comments about forestry. Many jobs have been lost in Northern Ontario and many working families are having difficulties right now. Many of those families and working people do not qualify for EI any more, so we would like to see a strategy on that.

My question for the member is specifically on forestry. Would the member join me in calling for a national summit on forestry in the near future to talk to all the stakeholders to see how we can improve the situation?

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I also congratulate my colleague on his election to the House. Forestry is an absolutely critical concern to our community. I have many mills and much of that industry is within my riding. They have been grateful for the support that has been provided to them through the western pine beetle action plan.

I am confident that we will work together as a government to continue to deal with the issues around the forest industry in a positive way.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I, too, congratulate the member on her election. I am glad she at least raised a concern about struggling industries. A lot of industries are struggling at the moment.

Although there are great words in the throne speech, everyone knows it is an outline, it is not really a book of substance. Recently the president-elect in the United States, although he is not even president yet, talked about a stimulus package for those industries. What we hear from the Conservative government, which said some things in the throne speech that made sense, is there will not be an immediate stimulus package.

Is the member willing to encourage and pressure the government to get with it? People are on unemployment, forest industries have shut down in many areas, the auto industry is in trouble as is the agriculture industry. There is a crisis now and the government cannot wait.

The previous speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, although she had the $6 million right in terms of assistance to the beef industry, it has not been paid out. It was committed the February before last.

We need to see not only money being committed, we need to see the money on the ground before it will do any good. Will she encourage the government to get with it, get on the game and get the money out there right now with a stimulus package?

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it would be very important to also recall that we have stimulus packages. We took proactive measures. We have decreased the GST. We have lowered business taxes for small businesses, for personal businesses and for corporations. Some of the OECD nations are now following our lead. We are in a better position.

I also bring attention to the fact that our building Canada plan is unprecedented in terms of our commitment to the infrastructure within Canada.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleague from Kamloops to the House.

The pine beetle action fund that she mentioned took the government 18 months to properly figure out the application process. The government called it a crisis, yet dealt with it like it was not. For a year and a half, communities had stacked up idea after idea of economic development concepts that the government could properly fund almost instantaneously.

When the minister was questioned about this at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, he said that he had no idea that this had taken place. He asked why communities did not go back and think about something on which they could possibly work.

Is the government committed to making announcements that are followed by the actions described in those announcements in some kind of considerably less order of time than—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after many years of inaction by the Liberal government on the western pine beetle issue, I am very proud of our government's record on this. As we speak, we have retraining of forestry workers. We have machines mulching up the supply. We have a number of measures. We have economic diversification measures happening in our small communities.

In our 30 short months of a minority government, we have done many things in aid of this crisis that the previous government had failed to do.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Scarborough Centre.

I am humbled to stand in this great hall and give thanks to the people of Etobicoke North who have given me the greatest honour of my life. I promise to serve my community with humility and to the best of my ability, as the Hon. Roy Cullen did before me. Beautiful, historical, proud Etobicoke, this is the community in which I was born and raised and in which I choose to live today.

In the 1830s John Rowntree welcomed his family to Canada with a dream of a new life, a new beginning and a real hope for the future. Ever since, Etobicoke North has welcomed people from around the world, and today it is a microcosm of the world. Here we celebrate Caribana, a celebration of Caribbean culture, Diwali, the festival of lights, and Eid, the festival of sacrifice. Here we celebrate in our churches, gurdwaras, mosques and in our beautiful Mandir, a gift to our community and to all of Canada.

We are proudly one of the most multicultural ridings in all of the country. I invite everyone to experience our diversity, gifts and richness. We rank fifth out of 308 Canadian ridings in terms of the 74% of people who are first generation Canadian born into Assyrian, Italian, Indian and Somalian communities.

Sadly, however, we do have our challenges. Almost 20% of residents are not yet citizens. They face family reunification challenges and language and job barriers. Almost 25% of our families are headed by single parents who often work two jobs just to put food on the table. Almost 20% of the riding is engaged in manufacturing, the second highest percentage for the entire country. In stark contrast, only 5% is engaged in management. We need real investment in our families and in communities, particularly during this economic slowdown.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predicts that Canada will have the second slowest rate of growth in the industrialized world. The economy must be our number one priority and we should ensure that the money starts flowing right away. We must invest in infrastructure and manufacturing to keep Canada's economic lifeblood running, to keep people employed and to protect the savings of seniors.

At the same time, we must protect our most vulnerable citizens, the 550,000 Toronto households that live below the poverty line. It is therefore prudent that we draw a lesson from the corporate world, namely, that social and environmental initiatives reap profits.

We must invest in our families as spending on our children is a sure thing. Canadian researchers calculate a 2:1 economic and social return for every dollar invested in children. American researchers find a 3:1 or 4:1 return for low-income families.

As the former vice-chair of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, I know the face of poverty in Canada's largest city. I have seen first-hand children who gobble down breakfast because they have not eaten since lunch the day before. Investment in our families has large economic payoffs.

Targeted measures with clear return on investment include early childhood care and education, secondary school programs for students at risk of dropping out, increased access to university education and better foreign credential recognition.

I am tired of meeting doctors, engineers and university professors who are dying to work in their chosen fields but who are instead driving taxis and working in call centres. I am particularly discouraged as new Canadians offer direct links to global markets, and we have such a shortage of doctors, particularly in family medicine and geriatrics, that we simply cannot afford to marginalize any of our citizens.

We must also invest in the health of our seniors. There will be 7.5 million Canadians over the age of 65 by 2025, and population aging has tremendous implications for Canada. Most elderly people will not be able to pay even a fraction of the health care costs they incur, as the average hospital stay is $7,000 and does not include cardiac or emergency care. Keeping our seniors healthy, independent and mobile and preventing and postponing disease are two of the biggest challenges we face.

As one last health point, the World Health Organization predicts that a pandemic of influenza is inevitable if not imminent, and that it will cause 2.7 to 7.4 million deaths worldwide. The economic costs are estimated at 5% of world GDP, or $3 trillion.

We must also invest in violence reduction. We can no longer accept the status quo, the human and economic cost of children killing children or violence against families. Each assault causes unspeakable grief to families, creates instability in communities, obstructs the development of business centres and reduces trust in government. Each assault costs the economy.

Gun violence is estimated to cost $155 billion in the United States alone each year, and the lifetime medical cost to victims is $37,000 to $42,000. Responding to violence diverts billions away from education, health care and social security.

Preventive measures show a good return on investment, often by several orders of magnitude. Interventions that target juvenile offenders often result in economic benefits that are more than 30 times greater than the corresponding costs.

Finally, we must invest in the environment. Reducing greenhouse gases, pollution and waste saves our planet, saves lives and banks money. We can no longer ignore climate change. It is real, it is happening now, and it may be the defining issue of our generation.

By 2100, which is within our children's lifetime, winter temperatures will soar in the Canadian north, glaciers will recede, and permafrost will melt. Scientists predict major economic, environmental and social costs. Estimating these costs is notoriously difficult, but a group of insurance companies recently put the cost at $300 billion per year.

Scientists also predict co-benefits of reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the form of 5,000 fewer premature deaths across the country, as well as in savings of $1 billion in connection with emergency room visits, hospital admissions and lost working days in Ontario alone.

In closing, I promise to champion the families of my beloved Etobicoke North and to fight hard for their issues. I promise to fight hard for Canada. I love this country.

Each time I cross the border or touch down in a plane arriving from abroad, I feel the tremendous joy of coming home. When I lived away from this country, I heard my anthem and was beckoned home.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleague. She is the representative for my parents, so I hope she has good luck and works hard.

The member talked much about climate change. She is a new member, so she is not necessarily burdened with the legacy of her party on this particular topic. However, she must bear some responsibility for the policies and philosophies that have gone before her. I refer in particular to the hundreds of millions of dollars that left federal coffers for the support of automakers in Ontario, without any caveats or covenants whatsoever to require those automakers to produce green vehicles.

I can remember imploring the then minister of the environment, now her leader, to attach some strings to the money that was coming out of the federal government to encourage the automakers to make the cars of the future and not the cars of the past. His response to me was that he was unable and unwilling to do that.

Has the philosophy of the Liberal Party changed at all with respect to the economy and the environment? These two things need to be wedded together. They are the two things that are most critical in addressing this great problem of our generation. Any dollars, any encouragement, or any policies leaving Ottawa must require that both economic and environmental measures be buried within them, so that any conditions set forth are actually met and we do not end up in the enormous problem of a climate change disaster that was created by her party and previous governments as the record of this country.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will serve the member's parents to the best of my abilities.

I cannot speak to the past on climate change. The Liberal Party did sign Kyoto. The environment and the economy are inextricably linked, as our platform made very clear in the last election, but we really need to talk about the future. The question on climate change and what is going to be done about it should be to the government.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the new member for Etobicoke North on her presentation.

In her speech, my colleague touched on three issues covered in the throne speech, the first being the environment. In the throne speech, the government committed to ensuring that 90% of the energy produced in Canada is clean energy. That is a step in the right direction toward making our country a leader in sustainable development.

Then the hon. member talked about the importance of investing in infrastructure. The throne speech conveys the government's firm intention to invest in Canada's infrastructure to improve quality of life in our communities while stimulating economic growth during these hard times.

Lastly, since there are a lot of immigrants in my colleague's community, I would like to know what she thinks of the fact that the throne speech included a commitment to recognize foreign credentials. It seems to me that many of the people in her community would be interested in that. What is her position on the throne speech? Does she intend to support these three excellent measures within it?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as a former university professor in meteorology, climatology and climate change, and as the lead author for North America on the intergovernmental panel on climate change that won the Nobel Prize, I would like to know the hon. member's baseline for reducing greenhouse gases and by how much they will be reduced. The baseline is important, and I want to know at what point it will lag what Kyoto was to achieve by 2012.

With regard to infrastructure, we need the money flowing right away. How much money is going to be invested? Who will be getting the big projects?

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The time for questions and comments has expired.