Susan Whelan

[Speech From The Throne, October 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the hon. member, which is hard for me to find right now, the government has already invested an additional $1.7 billion toward low income families and children. The member who just spoke voted against that. He now has the nerve to stand in the House and talk about poverty and children when he voted against money going to low income families and to children.

The Prime Minister has led the government and the country to the lowest unemployment rate in years. Canadians are back to work. We have new programs in our schools. We are connected to the Internet with leading edge technology. We are investing in research. We are attracting the best and brightest to Canada.

Maybe the hon. member should come to the industry committee once in a while and hear what researchers in Canada have to say about the opportunities that exist in Canada and what attracts them. The bottom line is not the dollars. It is where they can go and what they can do. If members on that side would show up at committee they would obviously know that. Since they are never there they cannot say anything about it.

[Speech From The Throne, October 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, continuing the debate today I would like to talk about health. Our health depends on safe and healthy food and I would like to remind the House that the agricultural industry in my riding is one of the largest in southeastern Canada.

The riding of Essex and the surrounding area has an ideal growing climate. It is situated on a flat peninsula, jutting into the United States farther south than northern California. The growing season is the longest in Canada, averaging 212 days, with 350,000 acres of rich fertile and relatively flat farmland. There are 3,000 farms and over 400 acres of greenhouse production, producing everything from apples and tomatoes to flowers and cacti.

Farmers provide an annual yield of fruits and vegetables, legumes and grains totalling over $200 million annually. Today more than 50 food and beverage processing plants account for over $1 billion in shipments.

Our farmers take pride in nurturing the soil and producing the freshest and healthiest produce possible. To assist the farmers in my riding of Essex and elsewhere we will use the upcoming World Trade Organization negotiations, including those on agriculture, to help build a more transparent rules based global trading system, one that ensures a level playing field, provides better access to world markets for Canadian companies in all sectors and respects the needs of Canadians, our culture and the environment.

I would like to remind the House that agricultural production and its future is the very soul of this nation. The Liberal government has been and will continue to be a very strong supporter of agriculture.

As the throne speech stated, Canada's ability to adopt innovative environmental practices and technologies will increasingly be a part of Canada's strength in the 21st century.

Just yesterday Canada's leading automakers announced a new fuel endorsement program designed to encourage gasoline retailers to sell fuels that meet strict specifications, including lower sulphur, positive combustion chamber deposit controls, no heavy metal additives and enhanced driveability characteristics.

Those retailers who meet these specifications will be able to obtain a licence to use the automakers' choice logo and designation. To quote General Motor's president Maureen Kempston Darkes: “If all vehicles on the road in Canada today could access automakers' choice gasoline, it would be the equivalent of eliminating the smog-causing emissions from almost two million cars and light trucks”.

This will positively affect all Canadians and my constituents by reducing the already unacceptable levels of air pollution in Windsor and Essex county.

We will go further. By improving our physical infrastructure for the 21st century we will not only aid trade and economic growth, we will ensure that we have clean air and water.

The government will work with other levels of government and the private sector to reach by the end of the year 2000 an agreement on a five year plan for improving physical infrastructure in urban and rural regions across the country. This agreement will set out shared principles, objectives and fiscal parameters for all partners to increase their resources directed toward infrastructure. It will focus on areas such as transport, tourism, telecommunications, culture, health and safety, and the environment.

Tourism is a multibillion dollar industry in Windsor and Essex which attracts day-trippers and vacationers by bridge or tunnel to an uncrowded, relaxed and safe destination. Tourism accounts for our fourth largest industry, with 12% of the workforce or 16,300 people employed in accommodations, food service, amusement and recreation. The Ambassador Bridge is North America's number one international border crossing, with over 10 million vehicles per year travelling between our two great nations. Municipalities in my riding and individual companies have communicated to me the importance of creating a better highway system to ensure the safety of our citizens, the efficient movement of our trades and goods, and to increase the movement of people to our tourist attractions.

With the millennium approaching, Canada is preparing for the arrival of the 21st century and its immediate future. We cannot speak of the future without looking to our children. This government recognizes that the viability and economic strength of this nation depend on the opportunities we give our children today.

If Canada is going to be the place to be in the knowledge based economy of the 21st century, young Canadians, our leaders and innovators of tomorrow, must be equipped with state of the art high tech skills. As well, they must have access to the tools and educational opportunities which will help them apply their creative talents and hone their skills. Our goal is to give today's young generation of Canadians, no matter where they live, a shot at personal success in the knowledge economy, at a job with a future that pays well, and at becoming our best and brightest.

SchoolNet has connected every public school and library in Canada to the Internet. Canada is the first nation in the world to accomplish this. The community access program has ensured that we will have public Internet sites connected in 10,000 rural and urban areas by the year 2000 and Computers for Schools, whose goal of providing 250,000 computers for Canadian schools, is 60% complete.

The throne speech reaffirms that we will build on this strong foundation and use the world leading high tech infrastructure we are putting in place, not only to enhance the skills and opportunities of young Canadians, but also to broaden their understanding of their fellow Canadians and the Canadian experience.

Canada is on the right track. The nation's finances have been restored and we are enjoying the longest economic expansion since the 1960s with the creation of 1.7 million jobs since we took office. As the nation's finances have improved, the government has begun to deliver broad based tax relief totalling $16.5 billion over three years. As the nation's finances continue to improve, the government will further reduce taxes to increase the disposable income of Canadians, enhance innovation and risk taking, and create a more robust economy. In its next budget the government will set out a multi-year plan for further tax reductions.

I have had my opportunity to comment on the throne speech and the vision the government has unveiled to bring our strong nation into the next millennium. I hope that my constituents will take the opportunity to give me their views at the prebudget consultation I will hold at the Essex Civic and Education Centre on November 9, 1999 at 7.00 p.m. Together we can build a stronger Canada for the 21st century.

[Speech From The Throne, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour as the member for Essex to speak to the throne speech which was so eloquently delivered by Her Excellency Adrienne Clarkson whom I would like to congratulate on her appointment as Governor General. I know that she will bring respect, integrity and enthusiasm to her new position and will serve the Canadian people both gracefully and honourably.

Today I would like to reaffirm my thanks to the constituents of Essex for giving me the privilege and opportunity to represent them in the House of Commons over the past six years. As many members know, my riding of Essex is situated in southwestern Ontario, the southernmost part of Canada and consists of the newly amalgamated towns of Amherstburg, Essex, Kingsville, Lakeshore, LaSalle, part of the town of Tecumseh and all of Pelee Island.

Windsor and Essex county has been the core of Canada's automotive sector and industry since 1925. Daimler Chrysler Canada's operations are headquartered here, along with major facilities for both Ford and General Motors. Since 1991 their combined investment has totalled over $6 billion. Their presence has attracted over 500 manufacturers of auto related parts, supplying state of the art machinery, machine tools, moulds, stampings, dies and automation transfer equipment.

With less than 2% of Canada's population, our region is home to 20% of all tool and die makers, 50% of industrial mould manufacturers and 80% of the automation transfer machine companies operating in Canada. Our workforce is diversified, dependable and disciplined with old-fashioned work ethics.

Keeping our workforce in tune with technology is a top priority among our manufacturers and educational institutions. The University of Windsor has established itself as one of Canada's foremost research universities. In partnership with government and industry, it has initiated programs pioneering the development and deployment of advanced technologies. In addition, the Chrysler Canada University of Windsor Automotive Research and Development Centre, a joint venture, brings together the best business and educational minds to create both company driven and research oriented solutions.

As well, St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology concentrates on management productivity, trends and skills development and manufacturing technologies in tool and die and mould making. We are responsive to the industry's needs where training is carried out on the factory floor where students gain access to the latest in technology.

As chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry in the last session of parliament, and as the member for Essex with such a vibrant technology based community, I was pleased to hear the Governor General outline the steps that we will take to improve our infrastructure of skills innovation and research. The industry committee took action on this front and held extensive hearings since 1997. It met with individuals from the university community, research councils and the private sector, and listened to their suggestions and recommendations.

At one of our hearings, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Canadian Consortium for Research, the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, and the Canadian Graduate Council highlighted their focus together in the opening paragraph of their submission by stating:

Canadians realize that innovation is vital. It is the foundation for our economic and social prosperity and our ability to compete in a global market. To be successful, we need a steady stream of new ideas, a well-educated workforce for the knowledge economy, and mechanisms to transfer effectively ideas from the laboratory bench to the marketplace. And we need to ensure that the innovation process is built on a strong and healthy foundation.

The increased support to the granting councils will ensure that a healthy foundation exists. It will enable them to forge new partnerships with our universities such as the University of Windsor, to attract the best research minds in the world. This will be developed through the innovative program of 21st century chairs for research excellence that the Prime Minister outlined in his speech. Through the research granting councils the Government of Canada will fund the creation of 1,200 chairs.

The industry committee in its 19th report entitled “Research Funding—Strengthening the Sources of Innovation” recommended that funding to the granting councils be increased. I am very pleased to see that the government is acting on the request in response to members of the committee and members of parliament.

The committee also heard that the number of students in the natural sciences and engineering is increasing and the need for support for funding their research in this area is increasing correspondingly. We also know that the government must intervene and act in order to help the challenges of commercialization.

As Robert Giroux from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada said, “To me, the major impediments are the ability of the universities to identify the potential for a research product, and secondly being able to move that product to the marketplace”.

We know the throne speech identified that the Canadian government will help to assist in the commercialization of research from universities and government centres. This is now a priority of the government.

The government also understands that Canadians cannot be productive and prosperous if they are not healthy. In the throne speech we confirmed our continued commitment to ensuring that our health care system will meet the needs of our growing population.

We will build on our health record by supporting partners and testing innovations in home care, pharmacare and integrated service delivery over the next two years. A modern health information system will make health information more accessible to professionals and our citizens.

[Committees Of The House, June 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 19th report of the Standing Committee on Industry entitled “Research Funding—Strengthening the Sources of Innovation”.

For two years the committee has monitored the funding of federal research and research across Canada. We believe that Canada's investment needs to be strengthened and we present this report today.

[Julie Payette, June 7th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadians welcome astronaut Julie Payette who returned to earth yesterday after a successful mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery to deliver two tonnes of supplies, including tools, clothes, water and other supplies to the new international space station.

When Discovery emerged from the night sky at 2:03 a.m. above the Kennedy Space Centre, it was only the 11th time that a space shuttle had landed in darkness. Mission Control waited until almost the last minute before giving the seven astronauts approval to fire the breaking engines and come home.

Astronaut Payette worked gruelling 15 hour days to prepare to go into the space station on the way to fulfilling her dream. As Julie has said herself, there is no miracle recipe or magic road to follow, but one of the keys is to maintain a positive attitude and to be true to oneself”.

We are proud of Julie and welcome her home.

[Committees Of The House, May 31st, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is through the co-operation of all parties and the depth of the knowledge of all members in understanding both the problem and the different routes for solving the year 2000 computer issues that today I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 18th report of the Standing Committee on Industry entitled “The Year 2000 Problem—Will Canada be Ready?”

[Science, Research And Development, May 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as the 21st century rapidly approaches, the number of women joining the field of science and engineering is too low.

Can the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development ensure Canadians today that both qualified men and women will have the opportunity to choose science and engineering for their career?

[Committees Of The House, May 7th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Industry on the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2000.

[Windsor—St. Clair, April 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the results are in. We finally have an answer to that mysterious question that has been vexing us all year: Which party on the right do Canadians like better, the Reform Party or the Conservative Party? The voters in Windsor—St. Clair gave us their answer. Neither.

Both parties received just over 6% of the vote yesterday. Even if we combined both parties, as some are suggesting, they still would not have had enough votes to get their deposits back.

Who did voters from Windsor—St. Clair elect as their federal member of Parliament yesterday? I am proud to say a hard-working, dedicated Liberal by the name of Rick Limoges.

This victory is a testament to Rick's talent and fine record as a Windsor city councillor and is also a testament to the legacy of Shaughnessy Cohen.

I congratulate Rick, his campaign team, his family and friends for this hard fought by-election victory. We look forward to working with Rick as a great addition to our Liberal team.

[International Women's Week, March 9th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this is International Women's Week, a week in which we take time to reflect on the progress made in advancing women's equality. This past Friday, March 5, over 250 participants did just that at the first annual Women in Politics Conference in Windsor which was hosted by my provincial colleague, Sandra Pupatello, and me.

The conference was dedicated to the memory of Shaughnessy Cohen and this event was sanctioned by the area school boards. Students from high school, college and university from across Essex County, the city of Windsor and Chatham participated in a one day forum to encourage young women to become involved in our political system.

Guest speakers included the Hon. Dianne Cunningham, Lyn McLeod and Marion Boyd who spoke to an enthusiastic crowd at the Fogolar Furlan Club on the role women can and do play in politics. Keynote luncheon speaker Robert Fisher, anchor for Global News , gave a fantastic account of his experience with women politicians, and our media panel included the Ottawa Citizen 's Jane Taber.

A special thanks to our student organizers and corporate sponsors and to the principals, teachers and students who recognized the importance of our message through their participation. The conference participants took a step forward in the advancement of all women.