Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Governor General for his gracious remarks. I am happy and honoured to second the motion of my colleague, the hon. member for Mississauga South, regarding the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne. I also want to thank the Prime Minister for giving me the opportunity to do so.
It is an honour to continue to serve my constituents here in the 41st Parliament. I am proud to be part of a government that has always focused on priorities, a government that has always been dedicated to the priorities of Canadians.
My hon. colleague spoke about our government's plan to stay on track during the economic recovery. This is the number one priority for Canadians, which is why it will remain the number one priority for our government.
In support of my hon. colleague's motion, I would like to point out some other key features of our government's agenda, which was outlined by His Excellency.
These are priorities of another kind, but no less important to the well-being of Canadians. These priorities are at the heart of the principles of peace, order and good government that we must ensure are respected in our country.
Our government has always believed that it is our most solemn duty to protect Canadians, to ensure their personal safety, to secure our borders and to defend our country. We also believe that our government must be accountable to Canadians as it accomplishes these tasks and fulfills its duties.
Our government is taking action and will continue to advance these priorities. Our constituents expect us to do so. That is why I was pleased to hear His Excellency briefly summarize the next steps in our government's law and order agenda.
As the Prime Minister has said, Canadians deserve to feel safe in their homes. They want to be able to walk the streets without constantly looking over their shoulders. They expect to find their vehicles where they parked them. The constituents of Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière believe in the rehabilitation of criminals, but we must also ensure that the rights of criminals do not take precedence over the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must support victims' rights.
Despite the many obstacles, our government has already made considerable progress toward these goals. We are now well positioned to implement all the measures of our crime-fighting agenda.
His Excellency spoke about measures to protect children from sex offenders, to help at-risk youth avoid gangs and criminal activity, and to encourage courts to impose tougher sentences for those who abuse seniors.
We will take swift and decisive action to tackle these problems and other serious issues. We will focus on protecting the most vulnerable people in society. We will work to restore Canadians' confidence in the fairness of our justice system.
Both expert advisers and my constituents in Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière support what our government is doing to fight crime. They believe that even one victim of crime is one too many. They believe that a sentence must reflect the severity of the crime. They believe that our system should put public safety first.
Canadians know they can trust our government to act according to these principles. They know that we are committed to ensuring their safety. They know that we are determined to protect our country and defend the principles on which it was founded.
Canadians cherish our tradition of tolerance and harmony. We welcome newcomers who seek to build a better future for themselves and their families. We know they are a key factor in ensuring the strength of our economy and our communities. That is why Canadians support our government's efforts to secure our borders and protect the integrity of our immigration system.
Canadians support our plan to crack down on human smuggling, which dissuades criminals who put the lives of immigrants in danger and abuse our country's generosity. New Canadians often understand better than anyone the importance of taking action. They followed the rules to come and establish themselves in this country. They know what it means to be Canadian. They share our government's desire to ensure that Canadians have confidence in our immigration system.
His Excellency mentioned other measures that will advance the values we share as Canadians. I am proud of our government's plan to create a new office of religious freedom.
As the Prime Minister said, respect for religious pluralism is inextricably linked to democratic development. By defending the rights of religious minorities throughout the world, we are promoting the universal principles of human rights, which are rights that new Canadians deeply appreciate, sometimes because of the persecution they endured in their home countries.
The values that we cherish as Canadians—liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law—have always guided our actions abroad. They led us to join our allies in protecting the people of Libya, and they will guide us when we hold a parliamentary debate on the future of this mission. They lead us to continue to protect the homes and rights of Canadians. That is why our government will continue to support our men and women in uniform. We will honour our veterans, our heroes, who are the greatest Canadians. We will continue to defend our national sovereignty, particularly in Canada's north. For our government, defending our country also means promoting our shared history and protecting our natural heritage.
Our government is eager to invite Canadians to celebrate Her Majesty's the Queen's diamond jubilee in 2012. We share Canadians' enthusiasm for the idea of welcoming their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in a few weeks.
We will also be proud to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, an extremely important event in the development of our Canadian identity. We will commemorate these events while looking forward to the future, and we will build on our achievements.
Our government has an impressive track record when it comes to preserving our country's magnificent lands and waters.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our national parks system, we are taking steps to create new national parks, including a new urban park in the Rouge Valley in the greater Toronto area.
In closing, I would like to emphasize the measures that will enhance integrity and accountability within the government, as announced today by His Excellency.
Our government was first elected on its promise of accountability. The first legislation it introduced was the Federal Accountability Act. Through conversations I have had with my constituents in Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, I know that this government, under the leadership of our Prime Minister, has proven itself worthy of the trust of Canadians. As the Prime Minister said this week, we are determined to keep earning that trust.
As part of our efforts, we will take measures to reform the Senate and restore fair representation in the House of Commons.
Canadians want our government to remain focused on the economy.
They also expect us to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens, strengthen our national sovereignty, defend and celebrate the values that unite us as Canadians, and continue ensuring integrity and accountability in government.
Canadians have given our government a mandate to implement our plan in order to achieve the objectives presented today by the Governor General.
I encourage all hon. members of this House to support today's motion. For me it is both an honour and a pleasure to support the motion on the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne.