House of Commons Hansard #8 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was infrastructure.

Topics

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:30 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, the member made reference to child care, and I applaud him for his comments. In order to achieve a child care program that would be universal across Canada, the government has to work with the provinces. The last time that was done was actually during Paul Martin's government. Paul Martin had an agreement with the provinces that would have seen enhanced child care. Unfortunately, that was defeated by the combined opposition back then.

Today, we have a Liberal Prime Minister who is very progressive in his thinking about the need to get children out of poverty. The biggest step in doing that is to introduce the Canada child benefit, which would put more money in the hands of parents and children than ever before.

I am wondering if the member can reflect on how important it is that the Government of Canada give directly to those children through the child benefit program and how that is going to benefit children from coast to coast to coast, that one initiative, which would deliver children out of poverty.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:30 p.m.

NDP

Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Madam Speaker, I would like to offer a bit of a correction on the hon. member's comments.

The previous Liberal government had a majority running from 1993 to about 2004. I am not sure exactly why you did not get the job done during that time, and instead blame it on a minority Parliament.

I am a father of three and a half-year-old twins, and there are many young families in my riding. When I was out knocking on doors all last year, the one thing I kept hearing over and over again was the need for affordable child care and spots. Many families are simply facing a situation where they cannot afford to get a second job. Getting that second job that only pays minimum wage simply does not match the costs of child care.

While I certainly welcome any financial assistance that comes to young families, I personally do not think it goes far enough, and we have the research to back that up.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:30 p.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

Order, please. I want to remind the member and all members of the House that when they are speaking in the House, they are addressing their comments to the Speaker and not to individual members.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Madam Speaker, as a fellow British Columbian, I would like to welcome the new member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford.

He talked about the need for reconciliation. I think all members in the House agree that we need to move forward in our relationship with first nations. There are 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the government has said that it will move ahead with all 94.

In our pursuit of reconciliation, will the member join me in calling on the government to release a full costing analysis of the implications of moving forward with all 94 recommendations? Many of them are excellent, but some would be leading us down a particularly difficult path.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:35 p.m.

NDP

Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Madam Speaker, looking at the costs of every program is important. It is important that we as parliamentarians do our due diligence in holding the government to account. However, I do not think that is the end-all in our pursuit of reconciliation with Canada's indigenous peoples.

I am blessed in my riding with many different first nations bands. I have listened to their council and I include them among many of my friends.

With Canada's history over a century long of the mistreatment of our first peoples, we need to go above and beyond looking at a simple price tag and go the full way. Through that renewed relationship with Canada's first peoples, we are going to see a lot more economic benefits flowing their way, and many of them are speaking to me about that.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:35 p.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

Order. It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Langley—Aldergrove, Taxation; the hon. member for Calgary—Nose Hill, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; the hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, Indigenous Affairs.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for North Island—Powell River.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:35 p.m.

NDP

Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC

Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford on his excellent first speech in the House. It is great to work with such a talented parliamentarian.

I will start by thanking my constituents for putting their trust in me. I am grateful for the privilege of representing North Island—Powell River. I, like many of my fellow members, know that my riding is the most beautiful in all of the country.

I also take this opportunity to thank my family, which has shown such support for me in following my passion to this role. If it were not for Henry, Kai, Rebecca and Darren's support, I would certainly not be here today.

The riding I represent is the third largest in British Columbia. It includes North Vancouver Island and goes over to the mainland to Powell River and up part of the coast. A riding made of coastal communities, access is often by multiple ferries and some communities only by boat or float plane. It is one of the most amazing and challenging ridings to travel. It is also one of great diversity and includes over 20 Indigenous communities that span Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish territories.

Across my riding there are many communities, the largest being over 30,000 and the smallest comprised of just a small handful of people. Whether it be members living in Lund, Comox, Woss, Campbell River, Cortes Island, Port Hardy, Port Alice, and the many other communities of the riding I have the privilege to represent, the people are hard-working, dedicated to their communities and proud of the region we share.

Over the next four years in Parliament, I will work hard in my riding to be a strong voice for the people of my riding to Ottawa. North Island—Powell River has faced multiple challenges in the changing Canadian economy. The history of our region is built from resource based economies: fishing, mining and forestry. The beauty of our region also welcomes tourists from across the country and around the world.

Through the changing global economy, the people in these communities have persevered. Whether it was municipalities and regional districts working toward creative solutions, one parent choosing to travel far away for work so the family could remain, or whether it was people creating small businesses, exploring new industries and creating innovative solutions with historic industries, the people of North Island—Powell River have rallied around one another. Through good times and hard times, the people of my riding know that we are all in this together. We take care of one another and work collaboratively to create long term solutions. It is no wonder I am proud to stand here representing the riding in which I live.

North Island—Powell River has seen a decrease of good paying jobs and an increasing amount of people struggling to get ahead. Single people are stretching to afford housing and increasingly have to live in overcrowded situations. Child poverty is a major concern and too many children are going to school hungry. Too many parents are worried about where their next meal will come from. These are stories of families that have a parent or parents working more than one job and often more than two jobs. The cost of housing, child care, food and the basics of everyday life are adding up and it is becoming increasingly hard.

It is these hard-working people who are the backbone of our country and their continued struggle shows a lack of focused attention to this riding and to many of the small and rural communities across Canada which have been left behind.

My riding wants to see tax cuts that benefit the most vulnerable of the country, a concrete housing strategy, to see the leadership of a $15 federal minimum wage, as too many Canadians are working full time and living below the poverty line. It is time to see tax dollars stop leaving the country through stock option loopholes and see that money being invested into preventing child poverty in our country. They are our future and we must support them.

In North Island—Powell River health care is a growing concern. Many of our communities struggle to secure family doctors and health care professionals. With long distances and multiple ferries, many of my constituents struggle to access the basic services they require.

We are looking to hear a commitment to cancelling the former government's plan to cut funding to health care and to see increased communication across federal and provincial governments to address the issues that are unique to small and remote communities in our country.

Seniors are very concerned about health care as well. They face challenges of affording prescriptions and in accessing the services they need in their community. Many of the seniors in my riding are feeling pressured to move to larger centres. As one constituent said to me, “If I move, who will help me? I have lived in this community for over 40 years, paid my taxes and worked hard. If I moved, I would be completely alone.”

My constituents are relying on me to work towards a strategy for seniors, a coordinated one that supports seniors in the care they need at home, in the hospital, in long-term care facilities through to palliative care. The life of seniors is becoming increasingly hard and poverty for this group is growing in my riding. It is time that there is an increase to the guaranteed income supplement to help lift many seniors from poverty and to support them in a way that they have supported this country.

The many indigenous communities across my riding are asking me questions. As one elder, Rupert Wilson, said to me, “Nation to nation, show me what that really means.” Across Canada we know that it is time to accept ownership of a history with indigenous people that is painful.

The process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission must be used to increase understanding across Canada of the history of colonization and residential schools. To move forward toward reconciliation, it is time to commit to clarity on funding for first nation education. In North Island—Powell River, the history of the relationship between government and the communities has not been one that has built trust.

The lack of discussion in the House on Bill C-51 has not helped to increase this trust either. Both indigenous and non-indigenous communities are sharing concerns about the lack of commitment to action in this area. This bill must be reversed as it is an invasion of privacy and civil liberties.

In a riding full of raw nature, living with the changing tides of the ocean and the beauty of the forest, my constituents are concerned about the environment. Many people who have worked for years in resource industries are close watchers of the environment around them and they are concerned. The impacts of climate change are visible in our riding. We watch the amount of snow on the mountains in the summer, the number of salmon that return up the rivers, and the noticeable warming of the ocean. Young people have stopped me in the street to share concerns about the environment. They know that this is what they will inherit.

People in my riding know that the economy and the environment can and must work together. Practical, clear, and firm targets are important to us. It is time that Canada become a leader again in addressing climate change. It is time to set hard targets and meet them, to have an environmental assessment process that is rigorous and includes meaningful consultation with first nations, and a process to connect with the communities that will be impacted.

I am very proud to stand here as the voice of North Island—Powell River, and I will be a voice that represents the people I serve.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:45 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, the member made reference to being a very proud member. One of the things I am very proud of is the new relationship that the current Prime Minister has established with Canada's indigenous people and first nations. In fact, one of the things we have come out with, in a very powerful way, with a sense of co-operation and wanting to consult, is the recognition that we need to have the public inquiry in regards to the murdered and missing women and girls of our indigenous people. When in opposition, we argued for this for many years, and today we have that.

Would the member provide some comment on how important it is that we reinforce a positive relationship with the federal government and our indigenous people, in particular our first nations, and that having the public inquiry is a great step in that direction?

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:45 p.m.

NDP

Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to remember the hard work that Libby Davies did for this party in bringing forth the need to have an inquiry on murdered and missing women.

We are happy to see that moving forward. It is a great story. However, what is important to our riding and to many remote ridings is how we ensure we connect to those remote communities so we get those stories heard.

We want to see a plan on how we will include the people who need to be part of this discussion. We are waiting for that. We have had the announcement and now we wait for what the actual structure will look like.

It is important that those voices are heard. It is important that we have a strategy that includes those communities. We look forward to working with our members to see that happen.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:45 p.m.

NDP

Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC

Madam Speaker, I have not heard a better and more comprehensive statement of the challenges faced in a riding by any MP who has stood up on the throne speech.

I had the opportunity of meeting the new member for North Island—Powell River in her capacity as a community development worker. She has now listed all of the challenges in her riding. I wonder if she could tell us something about the innovative ways that communities in her riding are meeting those challenges.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:45 p.m.

NDP

Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC

Madam Speaker, I will always stand in absolute pride of the amazing work that people in my riding do. They are innovators. They are strong people. I am very impressed by the work that they do.

As I travel across the riding I am again humbled by the great innovation of communities. I would like to share the example of Powell River, where small businesses are collaborating. It is a community that can only be accessed by ferry or plane. The people have found a way to support each other and their economy.

I look at the communities of Port Alice, Port McNeil, and Port Hardy that came together and created a community forest. They are accessing some funds so that they can provide support for their communities as they face massive challenges.

I look at the 'Namgis first nation, which, with funding from multiple stakeholders including the federal government, is right now doing an on-land fish farm project. It is almost breaking even and looking at having a prosperous future.

We are excited to see these activities happening. I am excited to see a federal government that will work with them in a positive way and I will be here to make sure that happens.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:45 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Madam Speaker, I am particularly grateful to my colleague from North Island—Powell River for raising the issue of Bill C-51 as a critical issue for this Parliament to work on. She made excellent points: this legislation is an invasion of privacy and civil liberties. It is far worse than that. Bill C-51 actually makes Canadians less safe because it puts into concrete those very things that we were warned about in the commission of inquiry into the Air India disaster and terrorist attack on this soil. We have been warned not to approve systems that allow intelligence agencies to operate without talking to each other.

I would like to ask for her comments on that aspect of Bill C-51.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:50 p.m.

NDP

Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC

Madam Speaker, Bill C-51 is a huge concern across my riding. People are very passionate about it and have protested against it. I will stand here in the House and make sure that something is done.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Bob Nault Liberal Kenora, ON

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member from Vaudreuil—Soulanges.

I am grateful for this opportunity, as this is my first speech in the House in 12 years. I was the member of Parliament for Kenora—Rainy River from 1988 to 2004, so for some 16-plus years I had the great privilege of sitting in the House on both sides, through the first term of my mandate as the member of Parliament when Brian Mulroney was in power and then of course under the Chrétien government. Therefore, it is a great honour for me to have the chance to stand here in this place again. It is a great honour for those of us who spend a lot of time thinking about the business of the nation, so I am thankful for this opportunity to speak.

Before I get into the remarks about the Speech from the Throne, I want to thank the people in the Kenora riding for their support. As members know, historically the Kenora riding has been a very tight race between three parties, and sometimes just two. In this election it was no different. The former minister of natural resources under the previous government and the leader of the NDP and I went at it for I believe it was 11 weeks. That was an interesting campaign and we had a good chance to talk about the issues in the north.

Before I talk about the north, I want to first thank my family and my wife Lana for letting me do this again. This is a great place to work if one believes in improving the lives of those in the region one comes from, and I know this cannot be done without one's family. When I first came here in 1988 I had no children. When I left I had two children, one who was 10 and one who was six. Now they are grown up, and I am very proud of both Samantha and Daniel, who played a big part in my campaign.

I am here because I belong to a particular party, but I am also here because I am a northerner and a rural Canadian. As members might know, sometimes we spend a lot of time in this place talking about issues that are more urban than rural because it is a fact of life that there are many more urban Canadians than there are rural Canadians. Therefore, I am here representing the views of northerners and some of the unique issues that we face.

I am also here to say that I do not think I would have run in this campaign if it was not for a leader and a party that had put forward an agenda for real change. Real change has to take place every so often in this country, every so many generations, because people insist that those changes take place. Therefore, I want to thank the leader and the Prime Minister of Canada for giving me the opportunity to be here to talk about real change.

In the last campaign, over 70% of people in our region voted for change. That means they were not happy with the previous government, and they certainly were not happy with the direction that we were going in, so here we are at the very beginning of a new mandate with a new government talking about real change.

I strongly recommend to the members of Parliament who are on their first tour of duty and just starting out to go out and ask their constituents what they mean by “real change”. We cannot just assume that everybody has the same view. For the last number of months since I was elected I have been out there talking to people, to mayors, to councillors, to different organizations, whether with respect to health care or education, and obviously with first nations, about what they expect from this government. What is most interesting about what we are hearing from people is that they want a government that is active, that cares, that wants to do things, and that believes it can make a real change.

In a region like mine, we see a lack of infrastructure and a lack of development. It is a part of the world where 42 first nations live and where over 20 of those first nations still do not have roads and are still looking for a basic piece of infrastructure that most Canadians take for granted. Then we in this place wonder why first nations people struggle and we talk about it on a regular basis.

It is pretty simple. If people's homes and driveways cannot be accessed on a day-to-day basis, it is very difficult to build an economy. It is very difficult to build sewer and water. It is very difficult to build infrastructure. When we talk about infrastructure, I want to remind my colleagues not to forget the importance of regions like northern Ontario where we are still struggling to get basic infrastructure in place.

When the Prime Minister and the Liberal members talk about major infrastructure development, they have to understand how important that is to those first nations and the north. They have to understand the importance of what we are trying to achieve in the north when we talk about basic infrastructure.

Why did I run? It is because I think northern Ontario, under the previous government, has fallen further and further behind. All first nations in the region had their capital funding cut. All first nations in the region had their provincial territorial organizations cut; they organize all the work that these communities do. We know that is happening, and we say to the party opposite that that is not going to hold for very long because communities need to grow.

I ran on real change. I ran on frustration, because of a particular view that I think all Canadians share, that the basic principle of government is that we look after our elderly and our children, and make decisions that are best for our country in the long term.

When I talked to veterans in my region, they were angry at the government for making major cuts and making their lives so difficult that they could not take it anymore. They felt they had to start going out. They were talking about demonstrating. I knew we were in trouble as a nation.

There was the cutting of funding to the Experimental Lakes in my region, one of the most successful research facilities in the world. It was cut by that government of the day, saving them a total of $1.5 million. It embarrassed us all around the world. Scientists could not figure out how anyone in their right mind would do something like that to a facility that was making such a difference for our environment.

We can look at things like health care. The previous prime minister's decision to have an 11-week campaign gave me the opportunity to go door to door and talk to a lot of people. The number one issue for many people in regions like mine is health care, and issues related to health care, such how we are going to deal with seniors, elders, and home care.

In the short time that I have left, I just want the House to know that this government, like any other government that runs on major, real change, is not going to do it in the first 100 days and is not going to do it in the first term. It takes a decade to make the kinds of changes that we are promoting here on this side of the House.

I, like everyone else on this side of the House, think the platform that we ran on was the right one, but we have to take our time to get it right and make sure we put in place those long-term changes that will improve the lives of this generation and the next generation to come.

I am honoured to be in this House. I have sat in almost every position one can think of except Speaker. I have been a minister, a parliamentary secretary, and a committee chair. All the things I have done in this House have taught me one thing, and that is that if we work together and remind ourselves that the election is over and now it is time to govern, we will make some very good decisions for the people we represent.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5 p.m.

NDP

Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Madam Speaker, I did take note of the fact that my colleague mentioned on numerous occasions that he was a member of the previous Liberal government, and then he spoke about the need to support our first nation communities. I would like to ask a question based on the fact that it was that previous Liberal government that imposed a debilitating 2% cap on first nations spending, and of course, it was followed by further cuts by the government that has now been replaced.

My concern is that we have seen promises in regard to an immediate inquiry into the cases of missing and murdered indigenous women, a promise of funding for education in first nation communities, and equitable funding for child and family services. I need absolute reassurance from the member that these promises and commitments are going to be fulfilled. I base that concern on the experiences of the past.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5 p.m.

Liberal

Bob Nault Liberal Kenora, ON

Madam Speaker, the questions from the opposition are always whether we going to meet the commitments we made during the campaign. It is obvious that if we did not, eventually we would be defeated and would go and sit on the other side. I could say for the sake of argument that when we were in government the last time, we put a 2% cap on the amount of first nation budgets on a yearly basis. However, in fairness to the people who were there then, when we took over from our friend Brian Mulroney, and I was there and most of the people in the House today were not there, we inherited a $42-billion deficit, deficits that had been run for a whole decade and an economy that was in complete collapse, almost as bad as what we have inherited today.

I would say to the members opposite to be careful that they do not overemphasize the fact that we have not made all our commitments happen in 100 days, because circumstances dictate how to operate as a government. Yes, I expect that we will fulfill our commitments. How and when will depend on the financial situation we are in. Just to remind everyone, when Brian Mulroney was in power, he made those commitments but never fulfilled them, and we had to clean up that mess.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5 p.m.

Conservative

David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Madam Speaker, one of the major platforms of the government is to have a great amount of infrastructure funding. The member referred to some of it in his comments to the House this afternoon.

Everyone in the House represents different types of ridings. We represent big cities, small cities, small towns, rural communities, and areas for indigenous peoples. With the amount of money that is planned to be spent by the government on infrastructure, is the member aware of the strategy the government will be imposing as to which communities will get what and when?

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5 p.m.

Liberal

Bob Nault Liberal Kenora, ON

Madam Speaker, I come from a region that is still waiting for the Trans-Canada Highway to be twinned, so I hope that part of our strategy is to start twinning the highway in northern Ontario so we can have a twinned highway, like most other Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

I hope that the budget will allow us, as part of our strategy, to build all-weather roads to the first nations, and power grids by the way, because they are still on diesel-generated plants.

The member should know that the decisions this government will make will come and flow through the budget. I recommend that he be very patient, like the rest of us, and when the budget comes, it will lay out exactly what we are attempting to do, and then we will start to move, in the new fiscal year, with the major spending commitments.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5:05 p.m.

Vaudreuil—Soulanges Québec

Liberal

Peter Schiefke LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Youth)

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to be here, in this historic chamber, to deliver my first speech as the member of Parliament for Vaudreuil—Soulanges.

I want to thank the people of Vaudreuil—Soulanges for their support and for giving me the opportunity to represent them here in Parliament for this term. I also want to thank my wife Paula, who was always there for me during the long campaign, my son Anderson, who every day gives me the energy I need to continue, my mother Louisa, as well as Jean-Paul and Alain, my brother Alexandre, and everyone else in my family who helped me become the voice for my community here in Ottawa.

I would like to thank the great people of Vaudreuil—Soulanges for giving me the honour to address this House today and to represent them and be their voice here in this historic chamber during the 42nd Parliament.

In short, the Speech from the Throne has been very well received by my constituents. I have had the opportunity to discuss it with a number of them since it was read by His Excellency the Governor General. I have received many positive comments and words of encouragement for this government.

I would add that this government's agenda represents the values of my constituents and Canadians, especially when it comes to equality of opportunity. This has contributed to making Canada one of the most prosperous countries in the world, a country chosen every year by hundreds of thousands of people seeking a better life.

I am convinced that this government's agenda, as expressed in the Speech from the Throne, will enable the people from Vaudreuil—Soulanges and Canadians across the country to achieve their full potential.

In the past 10 years, population growth in Vaudreuil—Soulanges has been among the highest in the country. Tens of thousands of people have chosen to make a life in our region. Many of them came for the wealth of our natural heritage. I am talking about the panoramic vistas of Mont Rigaud and the orchards of L'Île-Perrot. I am talking about the shores of Hudson, Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac, and Les Cèdres, and all the farmland that dots our region.

That is why I join the people of Vaudreuil—Soulanges in the goal of building a stronger economy that respects our environment.

My constituents in Vaudreuil—Soulanges are looking forward to having a more robust environmental assessment system, one that will give their municipal representatives and aboriginal communities a voice in the project development process.

My constituents applaud the government's promise to invest historic amounts in sustainable and green technologies and infrastructure, and in Canada's capacity for mitigating climate change. All this will contribute to growing our economy while protecting and preserving our environment. This government recognizes that our natural wealth is above all the heritage of future generations and that we must do everything we can to protect it.

Our community has had the privilege of welcoming so many new families over the last decade, predominantly young families, like my own, with young children. These families have come from the island of Montreal, from all across the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and from all around the world. They are proud to add to the richness of culture and history that blankets our region. Our community is proud to celebrate this diversity through annual cultural festivities in the cities of Pincourt and Vaudreuil, and the citizens of my riding applaud this government's statement from the Speech from the Throne: We are as Canadians stronger “because of our differences, not in spite of them”.

I also want to state that the families that make up my riding are incredibly hard-working families. They are owners of small businesses. They are farmers, health care workers, teachers, aerospace workers, pilots, public servants, and of course, the hardest job of all, parents and grandparents. Like most Canadians, they are working longer hours yet still find it hard to make ends meet and provide for their children and grandchildren. That is why they welcome this government's pledge to increase support for lower-income seniors and to reduce taxes for middle-class families, both of which would put more money in the pockets of those who need it and less in the pockets of those who do not.

They also welcome this government's plan to introduce a more progressive Canada child benefit, a plan that, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, would lift over 300,000 children out of poverty, many of whom live in my community.

In Canada, more than one million children, or about one in five, currently live in poverty. I am proud of this government, which has decided to tackle this unacceptable situation. In doing so, we are continuing the work started by other Canadians before us, who had the courage and confidence to invest in the next generations, who are the future of our country. I believe that my honourable colleagues would agree that this is the best way to prepare ourselves for future challenges.

That is why this government will implement an ambitious plan to address issues affecting Canada's youth. As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister for Youth, these issues are definitely very important to me and I can identify with them. In fact, my mother was a single parent, and today I am the father of a 14-month-old little boy to whom I wish to leave a legacy he will be proud of.

With this in mind, I look forward to working with the Prime Minister to increase the voice our youth has within the walls of Parliament by creating the first ever youth advisory council to the Prime Minister. I look forward to ensuring that we increase the opportunities we offer youth to serve their country, both locally and abroad. I look forward to implementing our plan to reduce the economic burden for all Canadian youth who pursue post-secondary education, and I look forward to providing economic opportunity by reducing the economic burden of unemployed youth on their families by increasing the capacity of the government summer job program over the next three years.

The idea is that if we focus our efforts on channelling the collective energy, innovation, and creativity of our Canadian youth, our country will be better off. This principle has always been one of the drivers of our country's success, and it will help us realize our full potential.

I take this opportunity to note that at one point in our history, we stood up and recognized that if we wanted our country to thrive, we needed to provide every single woman with the same rights and privileges as men. At one point in our history, we rose up to make the case for universal, primary, and secondary education to ensure that we empowered the next generation with the tools necessary to meet the challenges of its time.

Yes, at one point in our history, we recognized that providing equal universal health care for all Canadians was necessary to ensure that we met the basic needs of our population. This ensured that the thoughts of Canadians were focused not on how they would pay for their health care costs or the health care costs of their family members but instead on growing strong families, building more prosperous businesses, creating or assisting community groups, and serving our country in other ways.

These are just some of the ideas and plans that have been put in place over our 149-year history and that have helped Canadians build a Canada that every single one of us in the House can be proud of.

When we invest in Canadians, we set the stage for a stronger and more prosperous country for our current and future generations. For these and many other reasons, I am proud of the direction taken by our government since October 19.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

Madam Speaker, I would first like to congratulate my hon. colleague for his speech today, but I believe that there are some concerns that have been raised and need to continue to be raised.

Actions speak louder than words. Obviously, we have only been here for about four months, but in those four months, one of the actions we have seen is a tax break that benefits those who earn $190,000 while it does not benefit at all those who earn less than $45,000. As the member said, he has heard from his constituents that they liked the throne speech. If governments were judged on words alone, they would continue to be elected over and over again.

Why did the government put a priority on helping those earning over $190,000 a year over those earning less than $45,000 a year?

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Schiefke Liberal Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from across the aisle for his question and accolades.

We have put in place many measures that will help lower-income families, many of which would have helped my mother when she was raising my brother and I on her own, particularly a significant increase to the Canada child benefit, which will lift over 300,000 children in this country out of poverty. We are also putting in place measures to increase the amount of funding that we provide to lower-income seniors. The list is very lengthy.

I am very proud of the measures this government has proposed to help those most vulnerable, struggling families in this country, and I look forward to working with this government to ensure that these are put in place.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5:15 p.m.

NDP

Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON

Madam Speaker, congratulations to the member across on his excellent speech. I was pleased to hear him mention seniors and health care because some of that was missing from the throne speech.

We are deeply concerned that there is no commitment to cancel the Conservatives' planned cuts to health care. Reversing these dangerous cuts is critical to strengthening our health care in Canada.

Will the government commit to a strategy to provide the care that seniors need, at home, in hospitals, in long-term care facilities, and through palliative care?

Will the government cancel the Conservatives' planned cuts to health care in Canada?

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Schiefke Liberal Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC

Madam Speaker, health care is an issue that is of personal concern to me. I have been diagnosed with cancer twice in my life and I understand all too well the wait times that some of face in the various provinces across the country.

One of the things that I am very proud of is the fact that our Prime Minister has stated clearly and categorically that we will once again play a proactive rule in working with the provinces to ensure that we are offering the best possible support to the provincial systems in offering quality health care to all Canadians.

I look forward to seeing what this government will do over our mandate to ensure that that happens.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Lloyd Longfield Liberal Guelph, ON

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. who made such a great presentation on youth. It is so exciting to see the government focusing on youth and having an advisory council for youth.

I wonder whether the member has any plans to address youth unemployment and youth mental health issues, working with the provinces to try to correct the situation with youth in terms of employment and mental health.

Resumption of debate on Address in ReplySpeech From The Throne

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Peter Schiefke Liberal Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC

Madam Speaker, one of the things I am most proud of in working with the Prime Minister is to see the utmost importance he places on the quality of health care, the quality of opportunity for our youth across the country. He has basically given me a mandate to work with him in whatever capacity I can to ensure that we are providing quality health care, quality care in terms of mental care, and ensuring that we are providing opportunities for youth to find jobs.

One of the things we are starting off with is ensuring that we double the number of jobs sponsored by the Government of Canada for youth throughout the summer. That is something that will help lift the burden off families which unfortunately are having to take care of youth who cannot find jobs. It will help those families. It will help those youth attend university and find the jobs that this country needs to get us out of this economic crisis.