Mr. Speaker, northwestern Ontario deserves the same treatment as the rest of Canada. We need real action on unemployment, not more temporary foreign workers. We need proper services, not cut after cut to Service Canada and other government offices. Axing government jobs and slashing services for residents is unconscionable.
FedNor does not work well enough for northern Ontario. It must be protected from politicians who seek to use it to make electoral gains. It needs to be reformed to be independent and transparent and to be promoting the northern economy adequately.
All these problems, including FedNor, first nations' education, unemployment, and government service cuts have been worsening for years under the Conservatives. It is part of a pattern of neglecting the north. It is time for a change.