House of Commons Hansard #228 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was infrastructure.
Jonathan Tremblay NDP Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, since 2006, the Conservative government has run up a debt of $177 billion. Is that what it calls the sound management of public money?
Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for identifying exactly the balance our government is trying to set. It would be much easier for a government to impose cuts in the way the Liberal Party did in the mid-1990s by simply slashing National Defence and slashing transfers to our provincial partners.
The government has tried to stay on a pragmatic course, and I direct the hon. member to this course, which set 2015 as a goal for balanced budgets, but along the way make strategic investments in infrastructure and in skills training as a way of softening the impact of the global economic downturn on Canada. The results speak for themselves with Canada's leadership of the G8.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting when members of the Government of Canada try to give the impression they really understand deficits and deficit projections. In reality, when the Conservative Party formed government a few years back, it was handed millions of dollars of surplus and then it turned that into a deficit, even in pre-recession times. According to the Prime Minister, we were not even in a recession, yet the Conservatives turned that surplus into a deficit. Since then, the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister have contradicted each other on whether they will have a surplus or a balanced budget.
Why should Canadians give any credibility whatsoever to the Conservatives' claiming they will have a balanced budget in 2015, which happens to be an election year. There is a credibility issue here and I wonder if the member might provide comment on that.
Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, my friend particularly is from the Liberal caucus that I highlighted earlier. The previous Liberal government's approach to balancing the federal government was essentially through passing along the challenges of a changing economy to provincial partners, a massive reduction in transfer to the provinces that left provincial premiers, whether NDP in Saskatchewan or Progressive Conservative in Ontario, to be the real people cutting for the federal government. At the same time, the hon. member would know that the government of the day also took advantage of an EI surplus that had grown to help it in a way that really was not a revenue stream it should have taken.
One of the key things our government recognized when we came to office was that Canadians, particularly seniors and families, were overtaxed. Therefore, the Prime Minister made it his objective to lower those taxes, both through a reduction to the GST and reductions across the board, and I think Canadians have appreciated that.
Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for highlighting some of the great initiatives of this budget. One of the things he commented on was the building Canada fund.
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to visit my riding, as many of us did, and I spoke to a number of municipal politicians and bureaucrats there. To a person, they were thrilled with the investment our government was making in infrastructure. The thing that primarily excited them was the fact that not only had the gas tax been made permanent a number of years back, but this year we committed to indexing those gas tax dollars and, in addition to that, large dollars for major infrastructure programs within their municipalities and across Canada.
Would my colleague care to comment on the kind of feedback he must be getting from his riding?
Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for highlighting what is, unfortunately, one of the portions of the building Canada plan that I did not have time to speak about, which is partnering with municipalities instead of the previous government's penchant for multiple announcements and no action. This has truly been a partnership with the municipal level of government across the country, not only in the sharing of the gas tax, which, as my learned colleague has just recognized, will be indexed going forward, but also an important GST rebate that will help municipalities, large and small, in all regions of the country be a strong partner in our economic action plan, in particular the building Canada plan and infrastructure.
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Durham and I are both veterans and I am delighted to be serving with him in the House now.
I am pleased for the opportunity to speak to our government's economic action plan 2013. I would like to thank the Minister of Finance for all of his hard work to present his eighth budget. Since 2006, he has presented budgets that have laid the foundation for creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for hard-working Canadian families. He is truly the best and most respected finance minister in the world.
When the global recession hit in 2009, our government acted quickly and took decisive steps to ensure our economic recovery. As a result, Canada created over 950,000 net new jobs since July 2009, which is the strongest job-creation record in the entire G7. Both the independent International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development are projecting that Canada will have among the strongest growth in the G7 in years ahead. Canada even has the lowest overall tax rate on new business investment in the G7. For the fifth straight year, the World Economic Forum has ranked Canada's banking system the soundest in the world. All the major credit rating agencies have affirmed Canada's rock solid triple A rating as well.
Canada's unemployment rate is at its lowest level in four years and it is significantly lower than that of the U.S., a phenomenon that has not been seen in nearly three decades. What a testament that is to the economic stewardship of the minister and this government. These past seven years have, indeed, belonged to Canada.
Economic action plan 2013 benefits all parts of the country, but I would like to highlight what this budget has in store for my riding of Etobicoke Centre.
Experts have continually pointed out that Canada faces a skills shortage. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has identified the skills shortages as the number one obstacle to the success of its members. Our government has acted decisively by taking bold, innovative action and introduced the Canada job grant.
The Canada job grant will transform skills training by providing up to $15,000 per person to help people get the skills they need for in-demand jobs. That $15,000 will be funded by the federal government up to $5,000, with matching funds from the provinces and employers making the job offers. Once fully implemented, this grant will help nearly 130,000 Canadians access training at eligible institutions, like community colleges and trade union training centres each year.
The Association of Canadian Community Colleges had only praise for this initiative and stated:
Federal commitments in Budget 2013 will encourage a reduction in barriers to Canada’s economic success, while maximizing the talents and advanced skills of Canadians.... ACCC congratulates the government for making investments designed to address Canada’s skills gap. Budget 2013 acknowledges the role colleges and institutes play in ensuring that Canadian industry is prepared with the technology and skilled employees necessary to compete in the global economy.
For the first time, the Canada job grant will take skills training choices out of the hands of the government and put them where they belong: in the hands of employers with unfilled jobs and Canadians who want to work. The new grant will result in one essential thing for unemployed or underemployed Canadians, a new and better job.
Another initiative included in the budget that will create jobs is creating opportunities for apprentices. This will support the use of apprentices in federal construction and maintenance contracts in Ontario. Construction season will soon be upon us and in full force. It is encouraging that our government has a plan for apprentices to get more hands-on experience.
Another component of getting hands-on experience is internships. In support of more internships for recent post-secondary graduates, we will invest $70 million and an additional 5,000 paid internships for recent post-secondary graduates in Ontario and across Canada. Recent graduates have spoken to me in my riding about this and our government has listened. Our finance minister has also consulted with high school students. These kids will all be graduates in the next five to six years and we are helping to shape the job environment for them today. We are not waiting.
In order to fill the skills gap that we face in our country, we need students to undertake education in high-demand fields, including the skilled trades, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Promoting education in high-demand fields aims to do just that. I am working hard to help people in my riding look for these opportunities for their future careers.
While it is important to get unemployed Canadians into the workforce, it is just as important to ensure that we support our seniors. They are the ones who helped build and make our country great. Our seniors have laid the foundations that we all tread upon today, strong and lasting foundations, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.
Since 2006, over $2.7 billion in annual tax relief has been provided to seniors and pensioners, including introducing pension income splitting; increasing the age credit amount by $2,000; doubling the pension income credit to $2,000; and increasing what GIS recipients can earn through employment without any reduction to their benefits from $500 to $3,500. A single pensioner, for example, earning $3,500 or more will now be able to keep up to an additional $1,500 in annual benefits. We have also increased the age limit for RRSP to RRIF from 69 to 71; established the landmark tax-free savings account, which is particularly beneficial for seniors; introduced the largest GIS increase over 25 years, which gave eligible low-income seniors additional benefits of up to $600 for single seniors and $840 for couples, helping more than 680,000 seniors across Canada, and, of course, removing 380,000 seniors from the tax rolls.
This government values our seniors. Etobicoke Centre has one of the highest populations of seniors in Canada. That is why economic action plan 2013 introduces new measures to improve the quality of life for Canadian seniors. That includes expanding tax relief for home care services to include personal care services for those, who due to age, infirmity or disability, require assistance at home; and better protecting seniors using financial services by working with banks and other financial institutions to ensure they develop and distribute clear information about powers of attorney and bank services targeted to the needs of seniors. We are also supporting palliative care services by providing the Pallium Foundation of Canada with $3 million over the next three years to support training for front-line health care providers; encouraging the timely implementation of pooled registered pension plans by working with the provinces to expand their availability across Canada; and assisting the construction and renovation of accessible community facilities by investing $15 million a year in the enabling accessibility fund.
This action would build upon our government's strong record of supporting Canada's seniors since taking office in 2006, and I believe that is an enviable record.
Economic action plan 2013 would take care of our veterans as well. These brave men and women have served our country valiantly and fought to defend the freedoms and the values that we as Canadians believe in. They deserve to be properly recognized. It pleases me greatly to see that this budget would enhance the funeral and burial program by simplifying it and more than doubling the current funeral services reimbursement rate, from $3,600 to $7,376. This would go a long way in helping ease the burden of funeral costs for families of veterans. We have heard these veterans, including those of us in the House with previous service. I am delighted that this issue has been addressed by our government. This government honours our veterans.
I would like to also bring to the attention of this House that economic action plan 2013 would include $8 million in funding for venerable Massey Hall to help support its restoration and revitalization. This is an important cultural institution in the heart of Toronto.
It is an exciting time for Toronto, as it gears up to host the Pan Am Games and the Parapan Am Games in July 2015. Our government has already invested significantly in these games, including renovations in the Etobicoke Olympian facility in my riding. I hope to see many youth be inspired by the athletes who attend those games.
Our government is making it easier for kids to get active and healthy. Economic action plan 2013 would eliminate tariffs on sporting goods and athletic equipment. By taking this action, our government fully expects wholesalers and distributors and retailers to pass these savings on to consumers.
The $33 billion building Canada plan launched by our government supported over 12,000 infrastructure projects across Canada. Economic action plan 2013 would continue to deliver, with a new building Canada plan. This would provide over $53 billion in predictable infrastructure funding for the next 10 years. This would be the largest and longest federal investment job in creating infrastructure in Canadian history.
I hope that the opposition will support creating jobs, support funding for infrastructure, support our seniors, support our veterans and support our students and apprentices getting practical hands-on experience.
This government is committed to balancing the budget in 2015. I call upon the members of the opposite side to support economic action plan 2013.
Denis Blanchette NDP Louis-Hébert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech.
The phasing out of the labour-sponsored funds tax credit is one feature of this budget. According to a recently published study, what the government is giving away through the tax credit, it recovers over the next three years. Therefore, this means that as of the fourth year, it is to the government's advantage to give this tax credit.
I wonder if my colleague could explain why he opposes a measure that creates jobs and promotes economic growth and prosperity. I do not understand.
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would almost think that the hon. member had crossed over to our side. We, of course, support growth on this side. We support promoting jobs. We have created over 950,000 jobs in Canada. We have lowered taxes over 150 times. We are lowering the tariffs on sports equipment and the other consumer goods I just talked about.
The Conservative government is fully committed to jobs and growth in Canada. We fully support it, and we hope the members opposite will listen to us. We hope they will embrace and support the budget and support Canada and its growth.
Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Speaker, I was interested in my hon. colleague's comments, particularly when he talked about the recession having started in 2009. If he were to check the history of this, he would find that it was the fall of 2008 when the recession actually started. This is of interest, since he can find articles from July 25, 2008 by Reuters and CBC talking about the fact that the country was in deficit. The Conservative government, which had inherited a huge surplus, put us in deficit by April 2008. That is well before the recession began. It is even way before his numbers, but it was certainly before the fall of 2008.
Second, the member talks about job creation numbers from July 2009. If he goes online, he can also find articles from the summer of 2009, even December 2009, when municipalities were complaining about how slow the federal government was to get money out for infrastructure under the stimulus plan. The budget was announced at the end of January 2009, but it was the budget for 2009-10, the budget for the year that started April 1. That money did not start rolling out until at least the fall or after that, so how can the member claim credit for job numbers in 2009?
What does the member think about the $2 billion increase in EI premiums on businesses and employers in the country?
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and I thank him for listening very carefully. He is correct. I meant to say 2008, not 2009; it was a typo in my speech.
Since the government took office in 2006, it has managed the economy brilliantly. All of the major leading institutions in the world will attest to that. We are the greatest economy in the G7 right now. I have read in the paper today that the British are lowering taxes for their small businesses for just that reason. They are doing it to encourage job growth and stimulus in the economy.
When we took over and the recession hit back in 2008, our government took prudent steps to stimulate the economy and keep people at work. As a result, we have ended up in the position we are in today, as the greatest nation and economy in the G7.
Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to return the kind words to the member for Etobicoke Centre about our veterans. Since he spoke, I was able to look around this House. The members for Pickering—Scarborough East, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, Winnipeg North, Westmount—Ville-Marie and British Columbia Southern Interior have all served. They would share our combined passion for the fact that the budget focuses on skilled trades and apprentices, specifically the Helmets to Hardhats program, and how the skilled trades can take in our veterans and be targeted on the building Canada plan.
I would ask the member to speak a little about the coordination that the government has been doing.
Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, as he is also a co-founder of the True Patriot Love Foundation, which has now raised over $13 million for veterans. He is well positioned to ask that question.
The Helmets to Hardhats program is a vital program for our veterans, as a transition out of military service to take up a skilled trade in a very needed sector in Canada. The program that offers this opportunity will help our veterans not only transition, but live good, solid and decent economic lives.
Ryan Cleary NDP St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Mr. Speaker, the latest Conservative budget is not a good one for Newfoundland and Labrador. With yet more cuts to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, at this point Conservatives are amputating bone. There is no more meat within DFO to cut. I will come back to that in a moment. The Conservatives are charging tax on hospital parking. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are already vicious with the fact that they are being charged to park outside hospitals, in other words, charged to see their doctors. By increasing the age of eligibility for old age security to 67 from 65, this budget is not a good one for Newfoundland and Labrador. It is not good for the fisheries. It is not good for the sick. It is not good for their families. It is not good for seniors.
It is not good for first nations. Workfare is to be introduced in this budget whereby aboriginal youth will be forced to work for their benefits. At the same time, post-secondary funding for aboriginal youth does not come close to meeting the need. This budget is also not good for the unemployed. The Conservatives are following through on their EI changes that punish workers by forcing them to take lower paying jobs or jobs outside of their communities, outside of their outports.
This budget is not good for the vast majority of students. There is nothing in the budget to tackle crippling student debt. The average federal student debt load stands at $28,000. There is a problem in this country with accessibility and affordability of post-secondary education from one province to the next, and there is nothing in this budget to address that.
This budget is not good for the vast majority of young Canadians. There are 240,000 more young Canadians unemployed today than there were before the recession. All this budget does for youth job creation is to re-announce $70 million in funding over three years for 5,000 internships. That is a start, but, again, it skims the surface of the actual need.
Closer to home, there is nothing in the Conservative budget to offset the 4% increase to Marine Atlantic fares that is due to come into effect on April 1. If that does not amount to a tax increase for all of Newfoundland and Labrador, I do not know what does. News flash for the Conservatives: Newfoundland is an island, and when the ferry rates are increased the cost of everything eventually goes up.
There is barely a mention of Labrador in the budget. The one mention there was for an old jobs program. For Conservatives, and I said this last week during question period, Labrador is just a place to pull puppet strings. If Labrador cannot get a decent mention in a federal budget that is released on the eve of a federal byelection in Labrador, well, Labrador will never get anything. Conservatives seem more preoccupied with winning the Labrador seat than actually doing something concrete for Labrador.
I also mentioned last week that back home they are saying “you either do it the right way, or the Penashue”. Conservatives choose to cheat Labradorians out of fair representation. That is the Penashue, and Conservatives defend it at every turn.
The Atlantic caucus of the New Democratic Party was in Labrador West this past fall. One of the chief concerns we heard in Labrador West was the desperate need for affordable housing. The mining industry, iron ore specifically, is doing very well but the vacancy rate is almost zero. The local college offers a mining course that practically guarantees employment, but classes are not full because there is no place for students to live. We heard stories about how women remain in abusive relationships because there is nowhere else for them to go.
There is nothing in the Conservative budget that tackles the national housing crisis in any real way. The Conservative government is investing $253 million in affordable housing, but that does nothing to address the lack of affordable housing in Canada through a national housing strategy. Throwing money at the provinces in the absence of a national plan is irresponsible. It makes no sense.
I should have said at the start that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.
I stood in the House in February to address the need for a national housing strategy, to talk about Labrador's needs and to talk about housing needs in the northeast Avalon peninsula in Newfoundland. What did every Conservative member, including Peter Penashue, do? They voted against a national housing strategy.
There is nothing in the budget for the people of Labrador. Let me reiterate. If Labrador cannot get anything substantive from a federal budget that is released on the eve of a federal byelection in Labrador, from what would seem to be an election budget for Labrador, then it will never get anything from the Conservative government. Newfoundland and Labrador MPs are supposed to represent Newfoundland and Labrador in Ottawa. They are not supposed to represent Ottawa in Newfoundland and Labrador. That is the Penashue way. That is not the right way. It is not the New Democratic way.
I mentioned DFO earlier in my speech. Newfoundland and Labrador may not be the great fishing epicentre that it once was. The Grand Banks of Newfoundland may not be what they once were, but that does not mean the Government of Canada should walk away from the responsibility for our fisheries that it took over when Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949. However, that is what is happening. The latest cut has the Conservative government slashing the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans' budget by $108 million over six years. There is talk that regional headquarters, like the one in St. John's, Newfoundland, could close.
I would like to quote from the budget:
To complement these savings, Fisheries and Oceans Canada will also improve regional program efficiency by reducing management overhead and consolidating decision-making authority.
Does that say directly that regional offices will close? No, the wording never does, but the writing most definitely appears on the wall.
I also mentioned hospital parking earlier in my speech. This budget would require GST and HST be paid on all hospital parking. Currently, public sector bodies are exempt; the change would make parking spaces or facilities operated by a municipality or hospital taxable. Canadians, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians see the parking fees, which are most definitely destined to increase, as a financial barrier to health care. The Conservative government is going to charge people to see their doctors. That is what this would amount to. It is going to charge people for medical treatment. That is what this would amount to.
Let me sum up all the people that the Conservative government is leaving behind or so arrogantly neglecting in this budget: Newfoundlanders and Labradorians first; Labrador, or the big land, in particular; seniors; students; young people; first nations; low-income Canadians and fishermen.
Labradorians are lucky in a way. As I mentioned, a byelection will be called there soon, a byelection in which the people of Labrador will have an opportunity to send the message to the Conservatives that their way of governing by dictating from Ottawa, without a moral compass, is unacceptable. All Canadians should be so lucky to have that voting opportunity, because the Conservatives would find themselves out of office here and now and we would not have to wait two more long years.
The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton
The hon. member for St. John's South—Mount Pearl will have five minutes remaining for questions and comments when the House next returns to the motion.
Statements by members. The hon. member for Edmonton—Leduc.
James Rajotte Conservative Edmonton—Leduc, AB
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible efforts of emergency first responders and civilians in my constituency of Edmonton—Leduc following the massive multi-vehicle crash that occurred on the Queen Elizabeth Highway last Thursday.
Following a fast-moving and violent storm in our region, approximately 100 vehicles were involved in the accident. It caused the highway to be closed down in both directions.
It is with pride that I note how quickly and effectively the City of Leduc set up an emergency operations centre to ensure that efforts were well coordinated to support first responder and motorist needs. Hospitals, emergency crews and police from throughout the capital region collaborated to treat those who suffered injuries from the accident. Buses were also brought in to serve the multi-casualty centres, as well as to shelter individuals from inclement weather. In addition, the Leduc Recreation Centre set up a reception centre to provide a place of refuge for those who were involved in the accident south of the city.
Fortunately, there was no loss of life following what was one of the largest motor vehicle accidents in Alberta's history. I would like to thank all of those who stepped up to respond to the accident. It reiterates just how selfless and willing to serve our emergency responders are. I thank them very much.
Dan Harris NDP Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Speaker, our communities are filled with unsung heroes who make our communities great. One such group of heroes in my riding were 18 World War II veterans who for over 20 years devoted their time to reading and telling stories to kids at Courcelette Public School.
It is with great sadness that I rise today to acknowledge the passing of the last member of this group, Mr. Alex Napier. Beyond reading to the kids every Monday, the 98-year-old Mr. Napier became part of the lives of many generations of students at the school.
This group of veterans valiantly rose to defend Canada in our time of need. Their service did not end with the war. It continued right up to the passing of Mr. Napier and continues today in the lives and memories of the kids of Courcelette. I am truly humbled and thankful for the lifetime of public service and dedication of this extraordinary group of veterans.
Mr. Napier was a legend to the staff and students at Courcelette Public School, and we in Scarborough Southwest will truly miss him. On behalf of a grateful community and Canada, I thank him.
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and congratulate Global Vision's Junior Team Canada ambassadors who are in Ottawa today.
These youth represent Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast and have worked together to develop innovative ways to actively involve their peers in civic engagement, economic development and Arctic sovereignty. As ambassadors, they have led the first-ever domestic trade mission to Nunavut to foster north-south dialogue as youth leaders.
Throughout their work as Junior Team Canada ambassadors they have demonstrated true attachment to Canada, helping to build stronger, more viable communities. This would not have been possible without the valuable partnership of Canadian Heritage, First Air, TD Bank, the Canadian Commercial Corporation and universities across Canada providing youth the unique opportunity to understand Canada beyond their back door.
I encourage them to continue to get involved, take action and be engaged as the leaders of today.
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, I was truly moved to be at Victoria Island today to welcome the group of young people who finished their 1,600 km journey to Ottawa in support of the Idle No More movement.
The initial six young people left their James Bay Cree community of Whapmagoostui in January on their journey of nishiyuu, which means “journey of the people” in Cree.
This group of individuals, walking through the snow on snowshoes, welcomed hundreds of people who joined them along the way.
These young people have inspired us all with their message of hope and their plea that the government change its unilateral and paternalistic approach to aboriginal people in Canada.
The Liberal Party of Canada wholeheartedly supports these young people and their inspiring message. We must now honour their courage by working with aboriginal peoples to close the unacceptable gaps in outcomes in terms of health, education, housing, water and their participation in the economy.
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Mr. Speaker, the sport of wrestling has been with us for much of human history. Wrestling was part of the original Olympic games dating back to 708 B.C., and it was a major competition when the modern-day games began in 1896.
The appeal of the sport spans tens of hundreds of years. Wrestling represents the very best of competition, as it pits two opponents in a struggle to prove their agility, strength and tenacity. However, the recent trend of the Olympics has been to encourage sports in which a winner is chosen by judges who assign points based on an opaque system of preferences. Audience members can agree with the judges' decisions or be confused by their choices.
This is not so with wrestling. Everybody understands that once the other wrestler is pinned on the mat, there is an indisputable winner. This is why there are wrestling clubs throughout my riding, my province and our nation.
I am proud of this tradition that dates back to ancient Greece. Therefore, I am disappointed in the International Olympic Committee's decision to take wrestling out of the games. To eliminate wrestling from the Olympics is trendy, snobbish and wrong. The decision should be reversed.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, today I want to acknowledge the 40th anniversary of a very important establishment in my riding, Centre St-Pierre.
Centre St-Pierre was founded in 1973 in response to the social transformation of Montreal's south-central neighbourhood and has since become a fixture in the community. Every year, over 150,000 people are drawn to the centre to do their part in creating a more just and democratic society that is more responsive to the well-being of individuals.
It is a centre for public education that provides training, support and community outreach.
The centre provides a wealth of resources and serves as a forum for the social movement and a popular meeting place for agencies and associations from all backgrounds.
I am very proud to celebrate the centre's 40th anniversary, and I acknowledge the importance of its mission and the strength of its values.
John Weston Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, as spring arrives in Canada, Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is being celebrated across our country. In 2009, this House unanimously proclaimed Nowruz officially to acknowledge its importance.
As government liaison to the Persian and Iranian community, I am eager to congratulate people of Iranian background on the legacy left by Persian pioneers of democracy, such as Cyrus and Mossadegh.
Persians love their poets. To honour Iranian-Canadians, I have written a poem called “Persian Spring”.
Close your eyes and think back to the dwindling snow
On the slopes of a land three millennia ago.
With the waning of winter, we welcome Nowruz,
The eshgh of springtime, long-sought-after news.
Dream with me; sing with me; candles alight.
Think castles, oases, and sweet-smelling night.
Think freedom--aazaadi--think rule of law;
Think everything noble the great Cyrus saw.
Keep the faith, brothers and sisters and friends.
Our strength is our faith, and our faith never ends.
Remembering history, we're on the right track
Persia's best and her brightest are soon coming back!
Happy Nowruz. Nowruz mobarak. Nowruz pirooz.
Phil McColeman Conservative Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, today I call on this House to join me in celebrating an outstanding Canadian from Brantford, a young Algonquin College basketball star and a good Samaritan, Holly Ryerse.
Last summer, late at night, Holly witnessed three young offenders robbing and senselessly attacking a helpless stranger right here in Ottawa. As three attackers brutally kicked and slammed the victim's head into the pavement, Holly intervened to protect the stranger without regard for her own safety, and then she called the police.
Holly suffered a concussion, emotional trauma and hand and back injuries, but she likely saved that stranger's life.
What is so remarkable about Holly is not just her heroism, but her selflessness. She is an outstanding citizen who did what she knew was right, never asking for recognition or anything else in return.
We thank Holly for standing up and doing what is right. Her courage, integrity and constant optimism are a blessing to us all. She is a true hero.
Jasbir Sandhu NDP Surrey North, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Veterans Review and Appeal Board is out of touch with the needs of our country's veterans. Too many veterans are left without adequate financial support.
For example, Gordon Fergus, a 71-year-old pensioner, is a veteran who served with the reserve forces and militia for more than two decades. He has been decorated with numerous awards, but his service to Canada was not without sacrifice. Mr. Fergus sustained several injuries that have led to long-term disability.
However, his disability application has been a struggle with the board since 2001. After many years of service to his country, Mr. Fergus is unable to keep up with the cost of his medication. What does this say about the price we place on freedom and democracy?
To me, this is no way to treat Canadians like Mr. Fergus who served our country so bravely. It is time for the Conservatives to make the welfare and health of our veterans a priority.
Costas Menegakis Conservative Richmond Hill, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate James Pon, one of the last surviving head tax payers, who passed away last Friday at the age of 95.
James Pon lived a truly accomplished life. He studied engineering and business and even won a Governor General's award for an innovation that aided Canada's aircraft industry in World War II.
He advocated tirelessly for an official apology for the unjust head tax and to have the Chinese railway workers recognized for their profound contributions.
James Pon helped educate Canadians and founded numerous community-based initiatives.
He was one of six head tax payers present in this House when our Prime Minister delivered a historic apology in June 2006.
I ask my hon. colleagues to join me in recognizing the amazing contributions James Pon, a truly outstanding Canadian, made to Canada and in offering our condolences to the Pon family for their loss.