Debates of March 25th, 2013

Financial Statement of Minister of Finance

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that was a big disappointment. Certainly, we have been talking about the youth employment strategy and the need for one and we have been talking about changes to EI. This is nothing more than a continued attack on the many people who want to work. It is not enough to say that this new fund will be created.

What does it say when the provinces do not have the money? When Alberta, which does so well, says that it does not have the money, that has to tell us something. What about the other provinces? If Alberta and Ontario do not have the money, and they are supposedly our two richest provinces, no one else will have it either. Of all those fictitious jobs that are going to be created, I do not think that we are going to see even one.

If people are unemployed, they cannot find work and they have to live at home, that is bad for the economy. If people have jobs, they spend money. They buy houses, they get married and they do all the things we want them to do. That is a much better investment than economic ads.

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga South.

I stand in this place this afternoon in disbelief. I reviewed economic action plan 2013 over the weekend and saw all the great opportunities that would be made available to my riding in Kootenay—Columbia. I cannot but wonder what document the opposition is reading. Maybe the Liberals are dreaming of an NDP budget that would be full of tax increases, crippling debt and job losses in the tens of thousands. Just look at what happened to British Columbia in the dark days of the 1990s. Maybe the NDP is thinking about a Liberal budget that would cut core services like health care spending or better yet, cut spending to our military men and women so when they were sent in harms way, they were under-equipped and wearing green fatigues in a desert setting.

Let us get back to reality. Let us provide Canadians with great opportunities that lie ahead under the direction of our Conservative government. I could speak all day on the opportunities that would be availed to every community across this great nation, found on page 173 of this budget document.

For anyone who has been involved in municipal government, the community improvement fund is huge. It will provide funding in the amount of $32.2 billion over the next 10 years through the new building Canada plan and, most important, it will give greater flexibility to a broader range of infrastructure priorities.

There will be $21.8 billion over the next 10 years through the gas tax fund payments and what is a great move by our Conservative government is these payments will be indexed at 2% per year. This is guaranteed, consistent funding directed to communities across Canada.

Better yet, the list of eligible categories will be extended to include highways, local and regional airports, short line rail, short sea shipping, disaster mitigation, broadband and connectivity, brownsfield redevelopment, culture, tourism, sport and recreation. In rural Canada, municipal and regional governments welcome this news. By providing an expanded list of categories, they will be able to focus on improvements that encourage people to come and visit, play and stay in their communities.

Culture, tourism, sport and recreation are the mainstay for many small communities. In my riding of Kootenay—Columbia, places like Fernie, Kimberly, Invermere, Golden and Revelstoke boast some of the best skiing opportunities in North America. Hot springs in Fairmont, Radium, Ainsworth and Nakusp draw hundreds of thousands of people every year, but with this comes the expectation that communities will provide the infrastructure that matches the experience. This budget will do just that.

The connectivity between what I just spoke about and investing in affordable housing is also front and centre in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia. Although we boast some of the greatest recreational opportunities in North America, it also puts a strain on the thousands of people who work in the tourism industry as affordable housing is not always readily available. With $253 million per year over five years earmarked to invest in affordable housing, funding for a variety of activities, including new construction, renovation, home ownership assistance, rent supplements, shelter allowances and accommodations for victims of family violence, it will make it easier for small communities to better serve those who live in their communities.

Let us not forget about the nearly $600 million for the homelessness partnering strategy. Although we tend to focus on homelessness in the urban areas, homelessness in rural communities can be especially harsh as there is normally nowhere to go.

In places like Cranbrook, British Columbia, the Salvation Army is working tirelessly to raise funds for a new shelter to combat an ever-growing need for those who are less fortunate. Homelessness affects us all and I am very proud of our Conservative government in its efforts toward a homelessness partnering strategy.

The Canada job grant, in concert with the renewal of the labour market agreements, is expected to provide access to upwards of 130,000 people in training to fill available jobs each year. The federal government will provide up to $5,000 per person toward training at eligible training institutions. This means the grant could provide $15,000 or more per person, including provincial or territorial and employer contributions. In the Elk Valley, Teck Resources operates the second-largest metallurgical coal mines in the world and it welcomes this news with open arms. It is industry itself that must identify and pursue what it clearly understands as its employment demands.

The Leader of the Opposition came out after the budget, criticizing this initiative by saying that this was just another download by the federal government. If the leader of the official opposition would make a conscious effort to speak with business owners, he would know that investment by a company in identifying its priorities is key to its success. Training in trades, forestry and heavy equipment operating is in huge demand across Canada and it is industry that knows best where this needs to be applied. These people are not asking for a free hand-out. In fact, it is the exact opposite. They are looking for partners to work with them to solve a significant problem.

We on this side of the House recognize that working together with industry and other levels of government in a collaborative manner would be much more productive and bring the desired results in the long run. In line with this proactive approach with industry, we will extend the temporary accelerated capital cost allowance for new investment in machinery and equipment for an additional two years for those in the manufacturing and processing sector. This will bring approximately $129 million in tax relief to growing companies and create jobs in British Columbia. In my riding, the mining and forestry sectors welcome this news. Investing in new equipment not only makes good business sense, it also increases safety and productivity.

Finally, it is this Conservative government that is confirming total investments of $1.9 billion over seven years to ensure that disabled, ill and aging veterans and their families receive the support they need and deserve. I would like to recognize my grandfather, Robert Whittaker, who served on the front lines in World War I; my two uncles, Jack Whittaker who flew the Lancaster bomber during World II and Robert Whittaker Jr., who was with the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II; my three uncles, George Whittaker, Bill Whittaker and Lloyd Whittaker who have given over 90 years of combined service to the RCMP; and finally, my son Master Corporal Matthew Wilks, currently serving with 1 Combat Engineer Regiment in Edmonton, Alberta. For them and the hundreds of thousands of brave men and women before them, I personally give thanks for their dedication to preserving Canada's values at home and abroad.

Our Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, continues to stand up for Canadians from coast to coast to coast, while we ensure that Canada remains the strongest country in the world, recognized by the G7 and G20 as a leader on all fronts. We as Canadians lead by example, proud of our past and excited about what the future holds. I encourage all members of the House to stand behind this budget, support it and watch as our country flourishes.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Before I go to questions and comments, I remind hon. members that they are not to use the proper names of their colleagues in the House, but should refer to them by riding or by office.

The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I notice my colleague spent much of his time giving rather lofty platitudes and some very nice history about his family's service in the armed forces, et cetera, but he was soft on details when it comes to one of the major concerns that we have about the budget, which is the jobs strategy the government has put forward.

I would like to correct one thing, remind him of another and then ask his opinion on a third.

First, if the Conservatives really wanted to do something for small business, they could have done something tangible in the budget. When the NDP took power in Manitoba in 1999, the tax-and-grab Conservatives were charging small businesses 11% in corporate tax. Subsequently, the NDP reduced that every year by 1% per year. I do not have to tell the Manitoba MPs in the House today—there are five of us here at least—that the small business tax in the socialist paradise of Manitoba is now zero.

If the Conservatives are serious about making a gesture to small business in the budget, it would not be to charge them more for labour market training, as they are contemplating, but to give them a real, tangible, take-home tax break—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. member for Kootenay—Columbia.

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the member was not up to speed on the small business hiring credit that this side of the House has provided to small businesses across Canada. The hiring credit is something that is tangible. It allows small businesses to hire other employees and gives everyone a benefit.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to very briefly quote Fleming, who of course was the discoverer of penicillin. He said:

When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer, but I suppose that's exactly what I did.

I am very disturbed by the government's focus on moving away from basic and fundamental science, which of course has to be balanced with applied science. I would like to hear what the member has to say about that disturbing trend.

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this side of the House recognizes the importance of the sciences. We recognize that investing in sciences throughout Canada is something that will improve us in the long run.

On the health committee, we are looking at genomics right now. We are looking at technological innovation. We have some smart people in our country, and I am really looking forward to the future when they bring these things forward.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Cranbrook for his comments. Some of my family members live in Cranbrook, and he has done an excellent job in representing the people of that community and that area.

I appreciate so much the comments that he made about the budget, especially regarding jobs and growth. One of the things that the chambers of commerce across the country have recognized is the lack of skilled labour in Canada. That has created a void in many areas. I know that even in Manitoba, there has been an issue regarding skilled labour. Could the member comment on our new program to link individuals who need training with the jobs that are available? Also, I wonder if he could talk about the importance of training people in Canada for the jobs that are available.

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, certainly in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia, Teck Resources, the second-largest coal company in the world for metallurgical coal, is in dire need of all types of technical trades, whether electricians, heavy-duty mechanics, millwrights, or haul truck drivers. These are things that Canadians can do from coast to coast to coast. Just in the next few years, 1,500 of these people are needed. We have massive amounts of jobs available for Canadians as soon as they get trained.

I am looking forward to seeing our government partner with provincial governments and with all of the other industry and small industry across Canada to ensure that we have Canadians employed from coast to coast to coast.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to have this opportunity to speak about economic action plan 2013, which was put forward by the Minister of Finance last week.

As we all know, we are on track and continue to focus on economic growth, job creation and long-term prosperity while keeping our promise to balance the budget by 2015. We are quite proud of that.

I want to note that many Canadians may have heard of the 950,000 new jobs created since the economic downturn of 2009, but they may not be aware that most of those jobs are full-time, well-paying jobs with almost 80% of them in the private sector. I want to note that as a bit of a success story.

We have heard about the innovative initiative put forward in economic action plan 2013 for skills training. This initiative would address the demand for skilled labour, something I have heard about many times in Mississauga South. I heard about it when we were holding pre-budget consultation meetings and local economic round table meetings. I heard about it when I met with the Port Credit BIA and small business owners, who told me that they had skilled labour shortage issues in their businesses. I heard it again when the Minister of State for Finance spoke with Mississauga Board of Trade businesses, and the minister heard it as well. The hon. members for Mississauga—Streetsville, Mississauga—Erindale and Mississauga East—Cooksville held a town hall meeting where we heard the same thing. We in Mississauga are especially pleased to hear about the Canada jobs grant because it will help Canadians to become apprentices. It will help both the unemployed and the underemployed. We are talking about 130,000 people who will be helped through community colleges and other training institutions. This is good news.

What I want to talk about today are the initiatives in the budget that would affect certain people who have been contacting my office, people in Mississauga South in particular. I went through the budget in search of these types of examples and found my favourite page numbers from budget 2013. I would like to tell the House what they are.

I am going to start with tax relief for home care services. Lucie Shaw in Mississauga South runs Nurse Next Door. These individuals drive around in little pink Volkswagen Beetles and help people who live in their homes. We see on page 222 that the Minister of Finance has decided to expand tax relief for home care services by extending the GST and HST exemption for homemaker services to include personal care services to individuals who, due to age, infirmity or disability, require this kind of assistance at home. This change was effective last week. I am particularly pleased about that.

I also want to tell the House about page 243, which is a good page for two reasons. The first reason is this government will continue to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada with $20 million in 2013-14 to allow it to continue to serve ecologically sensitive land under the natural areas conservation program. Each federal dollar will be matched by $2 in new funding from other sources, leveraging additional funds for the conservation of Canada's natural environment.

The government is also working on the development of a national conservation plan, and I was a proud member of the environment committee when we studied the recommendations for the minister for the national conservation plan. It included a very strong component on urban conservation. To me and to my constituents in Mississauga South, which sits on Lake Ontario and has the beautiful Credit River running through it as well, these kinds of initiatives to protect and conserve our environment are very important.

On the same page and in the same line of thought is also a new initiative for improving the conservation of fisheries through community partnerships. Budget 2013 proposes $10 million over two years to improve the conservation of fisheries by supporting partnerships with local groups. In Mississauga South these local groups would be groups such as the Credit River Anglers Association and the Port Credit Salmon and Trout Association, which do great work in my riding. One would not think of this, because Mississauga South is obviously an urban riding and is right next to Toronto, but the constituents of my riding care very much about our lake, our river and our environment. This is a great way for this government to show what a high priority we put on conserving our natural environment.

I would like to draw attention to page 226, where the topic is financial literacy for seniors. In particular, this budget will support efforts to make public awareness a priority to improve financial literacy, because sometimes older Canadians can be vulnerable to financial abuse. It will help them make more informed decisions about protecting their financial interests in the future.

I sat on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, which studied, voted on and tabled a report on elder abuse. This was one of the topics that we did not expect to come up, but financial abuse of seniors is actually quite a serious problem. In addition to improving awareness and improving financial literacy, we have also adopted Bill C-12, which helps to combat financial abuse of seniors by allowing banks to report suspected fraud to the police and other social service agencies.

The Protecting Canada's Seniors Act, which received royal assent in December 2012, protects seniors better by considering age and other personal circumstances as aggravating factors in applying tougher sentences for those who take advantage of the elderly. I am proud that we are supporting our most vulnerable in society through this budget.

With regard to innovation, in particular there is mention on page 201 of a business by the name of Electrovaya, which is located in Mississauga South. It was able to take advantage of Sustainable Development Technology Canada, SDTC, which the government is going to continue supporting with $325 million over eight years for the development and demonstration of new clean technologies that create efficiencies for businesses and contribute to sustainable economic development. Clean technology and efficient practices can save businesses money, create high-paying jobs, drive innovation and improve the productivity of Canada's natural resources. Electrovaya, which produces batteries for cars, energy storage and smart grid power is a great example.

I thank the Speaker for allowing me to tell the House about my favourite pages in budget 2013.

[Jonathan Tremblay, NDP, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am curious whether the member is particularly proud of the fact that her government has run a deficit since 2008, even though it promised many times to balance the budget as soon as possible. Her government has even given us record deficits.

Now, it is going to eliminate the deficit by the next election. I would like to know if the member is particularly proud of her government for giving money to its friends, in an attempt to win votes, and waiting until the next election to eliminate the deficit.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, we are in very turbulent times globally. Canada has performed very well on the world stage. In fact, our net debt to GDP ratio is 35.8%, the lowest among the G7 countries, with Germany being the second lowest at 58.4%.

We are doing well, and we are doing well relative to the rest of the world in a very difficult time. I am quite pleased that without raising taxes we will be able to eliminate the deficit by 2015.

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the member would respond to this.

The Conservatives keep talking about this job grant. Everyone knows we have people without jobs, and jobs without people. We all agree that something needs to be done.

This is what the government did. It clawed back $300 million of $500 million under the labour market agreements it has with all the provinces. This will not even happen for another year. It clawed the money back so that it could conveniently create a $300 million fund for itself, money it was already going to apply, not new money. Then the government said to the provinces that it will give $5,000 per skilled labourer but they have to give $5,000 each, and each employer has to give $5,000. I get that.

I am wondering how the member would respond when she finds out that the finance ministers for Alberta and Ontario have both said they are not likely to agree to participate in this program because they do not have the money. The federal government clawed back the money that would have allowed the provinces to do it. I am wondering how the member might respond to that, and how the Conservatives support the fictitious 130,000 jobs that will be created.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure about the cutbacks that the member for Guelph is referring to.

Under this Conservative government, transfer payments have never been cut to the provinces. In fact, under the Liberal government, in Ontario transfer payments were cut by $25 billion. The previous Liberal government balanced the books on the backs of the provinces. We are not going to do that. I do think that the member for Guelph has a bit of a short memory.

We have not even begun the negotiations with the provinces. We are absolutely willing to work with the provinces. The Minister of Finance is getting every indication from the provinces that they too believe apprenticeship training is a very important issue. That is what we are hearing from everyone, that there is this misalignment of the types of jobs that are available and the skills needed to fill them.

We are working to address the problem.

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for the great speech.

She was going through page numbers, but she did not have enough time because I am sure would have gone to page 223 where it outlines our great palliative care program and the investing of $3 million in community projects.

My question relates to infrastructure. This past weekend I visited with many municipal partners in my riding. They are thrilled with the investment we are making in infrastructure with the long-term sustainable gas tax fund. Not only is it permanent, it is now going to be indexed to allow the communities to do the great infrastructure projects that are on their plates.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great point. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has wanted us to index that gas tax for a long time, and we have decided that is a great idea. It will now be indexed. We are talking about the community improvement fund of over $53 billion over 10 years. This is the longest and largest infrastructure program in Canadian history. I am glad we are going to be able to repair those bridges and highways and use the money for public transit.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak, but there is so much to say and so little time. We have 10 minutes in which to respond. I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the wonderful MP from across the harbour, the MP for Halifax. We will perhaps give a bit of a Nova Scotia flavour of how to respond to this budget. However, there is so much to say.

There is no question that the budget came down in a great deal of flurry and fanfare, but it appeared, not to overuse a phrase, that it really was a lot of smoke and mirrors. Once we began to dig down a bit, we saw the sleights of hand. However, we will not be able to get into the details until the implementation act is tabled.

I want to focus a bit on the budget as it relates to my constituency and as it relates to a process I have been involved in for the past couple of years. I bring representatives from different sectors and areas in the community to share with me and with each other their thoughts, priorities, and their advice to the government on the upcoming budget. It is a wonderful experience for me, and I know it is for the people who participate. We go for three hours, and we share some very valuable information about the community and our perspectives on the nation and what the government is doing. I want to share some of that with the members.

As I indicated, I held a community round table at North Woodside Community Centre in the riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. We dealt with a wide range of perspectives. We had a wonderful level of discussion and debate. We talked about trains and public transit, poverty and affordable housing, funding for local infrastructure, community organizations, regional economic development, defence procurement, environmental protection, and so much more.

We also talked about how on a whole range of issues there seems to be a complete lack of consultation by the government. This was expressed across the board. Whether it is consulting the provinces, stakeholders, or first nations, the government seems not to care what ordinary Canadians have to say about these issues and therefore does not engage with them in discussions before it makes important decisions. Even in the case where the Supreme Court of Canada has said that with respect to first nations, Inuit and Métis, the Government of Canada has legal obligations to consult and accommodate them, the current government completely ignores those obligations. People are feeling that. People feel the disdain with which the government seems to hold its ideas. They see it and they feel it, and they find it quite disappointing.

I was also disappointed with what I heard emanating from some of this discussion, and that is that citizens are feeling disheartened about participating in the political process. In fact, one participant went so far as to describe the government's approach to consultation as an erosion of opportunity to submit ideas. Another commented on how those who like nature have been equated by the government to being enemies of the state.

I think we agree in this House, but we have to pay attention to the effect of our actions. We want citizens to be engaged in the political process by having a government that will work actively to find ways, not reduce ways, for people to participate, to voice their concerns, as well as to voice their agreement, if that happens to exist. Unfortunately, we see too often that the current government wants to hear only from people who agree with it rather than those who dissent.

I cannot tell members enough how grateful I am and have been that we have so many interested and interesting people in my community, who take the time to share their perspectives with me and with each other.

Let me now talk about why I believe the budget fails to deal with a number of items discussed at the community hall meeting that afternoon.

On infrastructure, this budget commits $50 billion over 10 years in the face of Canada's current infrastructure budget, which is tagged at over $300 billion right now. It is a sleight of hand. The government is going to be spending less money over the next two years, at a time when our infrastructure is crumbling. At this time in Nova Scotia, Dartmouth and Halifax, the municipality is working desperately to maintain sewer and water lines. Those costs are being borne by taxpayers. The government needs to step up to help fund that level of infrastructure. It is deteriorating at a terrible rate, and the government is simply not putting the money forward that is needed.

On trains, there was no commitment in this budget to re-establish daily trips from Montreal to Halifax. In the last year, the government cut in half the daily VIA Rail passenger service from Montreal. It has been reduced from six trips to three. We need to recognize that this is where the trip ends. The people in Halifax, whether they be students or people who would rather travel by train or they do not have a car, do not have any other options. Some would suggest that the government is focusing some attention on VIA in central Canada and forgetting about the people in Atlantic Canada. It has cut back passenger rail service through northeastern New Brunswick. Communities there have been completely abandoned. What is interesting is that at the end of February, early March, for three successive weekends, the railcars in operation were completely booked, both sleeper and passenger car services. People are disappointed that the government has not come forward to properly fund trains.

On transit, Canada is still the only G8 country that does not have a national transit strategy because the Conservatives voted down the NDP motion in the House earlier this year. On poverty, poverty rates in Canada are on the rise. Instead of working with provinces to address the root causes, the government is downloading social costs onto the provinces. On regional development, one of the best ways to foster economic growth is to invest in local innovation. The Atlantic region has a wealth of innovation in areas such as agriculture and green technologies, but the government has provided no new funding to invest in these and other exciting regional industries.

What New Democrats have found in this budget, and we will begin to dig into the details as we go forward, is that the government is failing to support national programs and is now funnelling money into opportunities for government members to hand out cheques. It is pork-barrelling gone mad.

As I wrap up, I want to remind all members of the House that the Constitution commits all governments, provincial and federal, to promoting equal opportunities, furthering economic development, reducing regional disparities and providing essential public services to all Canadians. The federal government is not doing that. In fact, it is heading in the absolute wrong direction. We need a strong federal government that recognizes the value of all regions and all people of the country. It should pull things together and make sure there is equality of opportunity throughout this country, so we can all participate together in moving the country forward. This budget fails to achieve that.

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am rather surprised at my colleague's attitude today. I find him normally to be a very positive guy, but today he is a little bit negative on many of the things in this budget.

He certainly missed the boat on the issue of infrastructure and public transit, because both the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Canadian Urban Transit Association applauded our budget. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities said:

Today's budget delivers significant gains for Canada's cities and communities. We applaud the government for choosing to continue moving our communities forward even as it meets its immediate fiscal challenges.... This is also a budget that delivers real gains for Canadians. ...it will spur growth and job creation....

The Canadian Urban Transit Association said it applauded the federal government's building Canada plan as a major step for planning and development of public transit in Canadian communities. It goes on to say:

Never before has a federal government invested so much in public transit. This budget provides a solid framework to ensure this will continue.

I would like my colleague to respond to those positive comments from two organizations that represent those two major sectors.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member recognizing the positive contribution I try to make in this House each and every day. I want him to know that when this budget came down, I began to pore over it, looking for the positive, looking for the constructive things that I could discuss with my constituents.

I went through it and then I went home. Whether it was at the pancake breakfast I went to on Sunday, whether it was at the Alderney market I went to on Saturday morning or whether it was in the grocery store where I ran into people, my constituents kept saying to me, “What are they doing to us? What have they done? Have they completely forgotten the needs in Atlantic Canada? Have they forgotten what we desperately need to have attended to, as it relates to infrastructure, as it relates to transit, as it relates to regional economic development?” I had to tell my constituents that I did not understand either what the government was all about, because this budget was clearly a failure.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour for his presentation and specifically for raising the subject of VIA Rail.

I have also gone through the budget, and the weirdest thing about the budget, which is pretty singular for any budget in Canadian history, is that it does not include numbers. It does not give us the bottom line, department by department.

In the case of VIA Rail, for example, the main estimates cut by 60% VIA Rail's budget. Whereas it had been $475 million, for this year it would be $187 million. That is a $288 million cut.

The budget talks about money for VIA Rail, $54 million this year and $57 million over the next five years, but gives no indication of whether there will be supplemental estimate money that would keep VIA Rail viable, or whether this is really the death knell for VIA Rail with a couple of announcements thrown in to be band-aids on a gaping wound.

I wonder if my friend has any thoughts on what is really happening to VIA Rail in this budget.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for picking up my comments on VIA. It is a very serious concern for those of us in Atlantic Canada, the way the service has been gutted over the past few months. We are concerned that the Conservatives are setting the stage for the end of it.

It makes me crazy that the government does not follow through with any commitment. How can it when it is not prepared to have a national strategy on transit, for example?

The Conservatives talk about their commitment on skills training. We are one of the only developed countries in the western world that does not have a national skills-building and training strategy. It is deplorable to think that the government would solve the problem on skills training, for example, and it does not have any idea which way to go.

Countries like Germany, after which the government likes to model itself in the area of skills training, has a long history of working together with unions and companies, and it has a national strategy. We do not have a good history of working together, nor do we have a national strategy on skills training.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, like my colleague, I have a lot to say in very little time. I am really pleased to rise right after my colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, who is doing an excellent job representing his constituents. I am really impressed with the way he is continually checking in with his constituents. It was great to hear their feedback today in the House.

When I had a look at the budget, I looked first with an eye to Halifax and Atlantic Canada. I wanted to see what the government's vision was for our region. To put it quite simply, the Conservative budget fails Atlantic Canada. The Conservatives have proven once again that economic development is not a priority for them in Atlantic Canada.

What kind of economic development would I like to see? In Halifax, we have a thriving arts community, from music to theatre, to film and television, to the visual and digital arts. It is an incredible hub of talent and productivity that forms a thriving creative community in the Maritimes and a thriving creative economy. However, that economy is shut out of the budget.

In budget 2013, the Conservatives refused to change the course away from the deep cuts to the arts and culture sector that they are so proud of, thereby threatening Canadian jobs and really hurting an important economic driver. On top of last year's cuts, they are slashing $42 million more from CBC, if we can even imagine that to be possible, $24 million from Canadian Heritage and $3 million from Telefilm Canada. This is a blatant attack on culture.

All told, arts and culture programs will lose almost $80 million this year alone. That brings the total cuts over the past two years to over $130 million, with additional reductions to come next year. Investment in the arts and culture sector has a significant potential to bolster the Canadian economy. While other sectors have been in decline, the cultural sector has grown rapidly in the past years. There are twice as many people working in the culture sector as in forestry and more than two times as many people as working in banks.

Our cultural sector adds approximately $84 billion to the Canadian economy every year. That is incredibly impressive. As my colleague from Davenport pointed out, the Conservatives love their rhetoric on the economy, but reckless moves like this prove that they just do not get that the cultural sector is an economic driver.

It really is an economic driver in Halifax. We have incredible festivals, like SuperNova, East Coast Music Awards, Fringe, JazzFest, In the Dead of Winter, Nocturne, Queer Acts, ViewFinders and the Atlantic Film Festival. These are all festivals that showcase our theatre, music and visual arts and our artists. They also create a tourist destination. They bring people in, primarily from across Canada and the eastern seaboard of the U.S., and they help drive our downtown economy, supporting the hotel and restaurant industries as well. However, our growing cultural sector is not a part of Conservative Canada.

Looking at the money for infrastructure as well, the Conservatives say their plan commits $70 billion over the next 10 years, but they did not adjust for inflation. What is happening is that the amount of infrastructure funding is going down. It will be $4.7 billion lower than it was last year, and that will continue. That hurts all communities across Canada, but it has a disproportionate impact on us in Atlantic Canada as small provinces. It means we are not going to be able to address our infrastructure gap, or that we will, but these costs will be downloaded onto the provinces.

The Prime Minister did promise that he would not cut transfers to the provinces, but he is downloading the costs onto the provinces, which is essentially cutting transfers if they are not actually going to raise the transfers to meet the download cost.

The budget pushes ahead with reckless cuts to health care to the tune of $36 billion, cuts to pensions, raising the age for OAS from 65 to 67, and with EI, making workers take a 30% pay cut, despite overwhelming opposition from Canadians. These are all areas where our provinces are going to have to make up the shortfall.

I am quite proud of the Nova Scotia NDP government and its work on health care. The New Democrats have been finding efficiencies while at the same time reducing wait times. For example, their collaborative care centres have been a huge success and are being exported to other provinces, like Saskatchewan. However, it seems that Nova Scotia is being punished for our innovation in health care, because we are going to be hit extremely hard by the change in the funding formula when it comes to health care.

Speaking of EI, there is nothing in this budget to reverse the EI changes that have been hitting our region so hard, and there is nothing there for seasonal workers. The government insists that seasonal workers need to find stable employment outside of seasonal industries, but how, when this budget does not even mention ACOA? How are we supposed to foster the development of these emerging industries, or these mythical, fictional industries toward which the Conservatives keep saying we need to shift our workforce? There is no mention of ACOA and not one more dollar to support emerging businesses and innovation in Atlantic Canada.

However, the Conservative government continues to subsidize the already profitable oil and gas industry. If members can imagine, millions of dollars would go to companies like Shell, Syncrude and Enbridge. These are companies that have pretty healthy bottom lines. However, there is not one more dollar to support our companies at home in Halifax or across Atlantic Canada.

In my first-ever budget speech in the House after my election in 2008, I talked about the amazing impacts of building affordable housing in our communities. To put it quite simply, the solution to homelessness is to build affordable housing. However, investing in affordable housing does not just house people and address homelessness; it also creates jobs in the construction industry. If we make sure that the housing we build is energy efficient, we can reduce our carbon footprint at the same time. This is win-win-win, especially in times when our economy is suffering.

As members know, that speech was a few years ago. Clearly the Conservatives were not listening, because not only are they not introducing a housing strategy, but homelessness funding is being reduced by $15 million a year starting in 2014. Can members imagine that is actually being reduced?

Organizations in Halifax like Metro Non-Profit Housing, Adsum for Women, St. Leonard's Society and Habitat for Humanity are doing incredible work in our community, but now there is even less support for them from the federal government. As it is, they are working with practically non-existent budgets.

The Out of the Cold shelter in Halifax is a perfect example of what is wrong with housing in Canada. It is serving an important role in our community as a seasonal last-resort shelter. The thing is, it is run entirely on donations and by volunteers. I am really proud of the work Out of the Cold is doing for people living in poverty in Halifax, but I am ashamed that it needs to exist. Those volunteers do their work with a critical eye. They know that they need to be there to address the gap, but they do their work knowing that the solution is to build housing. However, that solution will be even less likely to be realized after this budget from the Conservative government.

I did a number of media interviews about this budget on Thursday and Friday, especially in the Maritimes. I was doing an interview with a radio show and the host said to me: “Well, we're actually looking for the story here. What is the story of the budget? It doesn't seem like there's much of a story because the budget isn't actually doing very much”.

The Prime Minister promised to focus on jobs, but instead he is pushing ahead with job-killing austerity cuts and is introducing no new measures to create jobs. He is basically playing a shell game with skills training money. I think that is the story.

Should we not expect more from our government, such as a job creation plan, an economic development plan, a plan for a transition to the green energy economy? Should we not expect our government to have a vision to plan for the future and ensure a green and prosperous country for all, not just the well connected?

That is what I had hoped for, but with the Conservatives at the helm, I guess I should get used to disappointment.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her presentation on the budget, which is as usual bang on in speaking about her fantastic community of Halifax, the Maritime area and Canada-wide.

One of the things I find gravely disappointing in this budget is that there is not a single mention of what the premier of my province of Alberta has called for, a Canadian energy strategy, nor is there any mention of support for the energy efficiency sector in which many Canadians are interested in working, particularly young Canadians. It would create a lot of employment, but there is no mention of that sector in skills development. I wonder if the member would like to elaborate on what she spoke on toward the end of her speech.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Edmonton—Strathcona knows the Maritimes quite well, having worked for a stint at Dalhousie's law school. I welcome her question and I will tell another story about an interview I did.

I did an interview about the environmental measures in the budget and I said that I was quite pleased that the Conservatives had not gutted something such as the Species at Risk Act. I figured that was the only piece of legislation left and those pesky caribou keep getting in the way of those pipelines, so I expressed relief and a sort of vague pleasure about that. Then the interviewer said there was no mention of climate change in the budget, and I realized I have Stockholm syndrome because I am actually celebrating the fact that this budget is not gutting our environmental regulations.

The member for Edmonton—Strathcona is exactly right. Where is the energy efficiency? It creates jobs. It reduces our carbon footprint. It is such a win. There is nothing in there for climate. There is one little line that says those oil and gas emissions regulations are coming, just wait. We have been waiting since 2010 when they were promised, so she hit the nail on the head.