Eleni Bakopanos

[176Th Anniversary Of Greek Independence, March 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, next week, Canadians of Greek origin will be celebrating a very special event, the 176th anniversary of Greek independence, and the establishment of modern-day Greece.

[English]

Canada has recognized the importance Canadians of other origins place on their cultures and traditions and has encouraged all Canadians to take pride in their heritage.

In Montreal, where Greek immigrants began settling at the turn of the century, 1997 marks the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Hellenic Community of Montreal.

Tens of thousands of Canadians of Hellenic origin as well as other Montrealers will converge in Saint-Denis on Sunday, March 30, in a show of ethnic pride. It will be my honour this year to serve as a co-grand marshall of the independence day parade along with the Mayor of Athens who will be in Canada to finalize plans for the twinning of Montreal and Athens.

On March 25, I invite all members of the House to wish Canadians of Greek origin: Zito i Ellas! Zito o Kanadas!

[Women's Health, March 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, International Women's Week gives us an opportunity to honour all those who work to promote equality for Canadian women. It is also a time to reflect on the challenges that were met in the past, and to face current ones, such as women's health.

Breast cancer claims the lives of 5,000 Canadian women each year. Thousands more are diagnosed with the sickness and have to endure countless hours of radiation therapy if they are to survive. Let us not forget the economic and emotional toll on their families.

I wish to salute the Hellenic Friends of the Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal who through donations and activities, such as their annual tea which I had the pleasure of attending, are doing their part to ease the suffering of cancer victims. Through their efforts a patient immobilization system was purchased for the hospital to help cancer patients with their radiation treatment, and particularly women with breast cancer.

During International Women's Week, let us show our support to this cause by wearing a pink ribbon.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud I was elected in Quebec. I am a Quebecer and a Canadian. I want to say this because some hon. members do not believe me, but the Liberals also defend the interests of Quebecers.

The hon. member said it was always the federal government's fault. Another myth that our separatist friends have perpetuated.

By the way, he did not answer to my question. "It is the federal government's fault again", is something we have heard in Quebec for years. I want my provincial government to take steps to ensure that with the co-operation of the federal government we can improve the lives of all people, especially the people in the riding of Saint-Denis, and we do that by providing political stability.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

They want political stability too.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

It is true. But I have another question for my colleague. As I said before, what does the provincial government intend to do to balance its books? Taxes cannot absorb everything. I pay a lot of income tax in Quebec.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, there are myths and myths. When a government spends taxpayers' money on political propaganda, there is less money left to invest in helping young people and the poor.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we, in this House, have spent the last three years listening to myths being spread by Bloc Quebecois members and their PQ friends in Quebec. The first such myth is that Quebec is not getting its fair share from the Canadian government. This is a myth which Bloc members continue to spread, with the help of their friends.

The facts are undeniable: year after year, Quebecers receive more than they contribute in federal taxes. As for equalization payments, they receive 42 per cent of the total amount. I hope that some day Quebecers will be told the truth.

My question to the Bloc member is this: Why is the Quebec government, which is also my government, unable to balance its debts or, to be more specific, unable to reduce its deficit, like other provincial governments have done? Indeed, other provincial governments have implemented changes. Mr. Klein even announced a surplus.

I find it sad that the object of the hon. member's whole speech is to blame the federal government. These are myths, and we must say so. We have a responsibility to Canadians and to Quebecers, but so does the provincial government. We have taken action because the Quebec government did not act to eliminate poverty among Quebec children, women and families.

I would like to know what the Bloc has done to help the provincial government achieve its goals.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question but I will repeat what other hon. members have said.

These budget measures will result in all children being better off than they were three years ago. I find it kind of unusual that the hon. member is not applauding some of the efforts outlined in the budget.

The NDP should be applauding some of the measures that have been introduced. They are measures to ensure a better future for Canada's children.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. On this side of the House we make no distinction between different parts of the country. As far as we are concerned the budget is for all Canadians. The same measures apply across the country.

As I said at the end of my speech, we want to ensure that all Canadians are treated equally by the government. Throughout our three-year mandate we have addressed areas where there are inequities.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, what is a budget, we may ask. It is a blueprint for action.

Over the past three years our budgets have served as a road map for Canadians, telling them what lies ahead and forging a path to the 21st century.

When we first received our map over three years ago the roads had been washed out in my opinion. We were heading down the road of economic destruction and social inequity. Nine years of failing to meet the targets by the Conservatives had taken their toll.

In 1993 Canadians gave this government their overwhelming support to draft a new economic road map. We set about restoring public confidence by providing good government and creating a climate for putting more Canadians back to work.

Our fourth budget is our latest contribution to turn around the nightmarish economic and fiscal situation inherited from the previous administration. In January 1994, the deficit was $42 billion, and our debt load had jeopardized the future of our social measures. It is no wonder that so many Canadians lost hope. But four Liberal budgets have put us back on track.

We have made progress. Our fiscal policy of restraint in government spending and program review over three previous budgets is today showing tangible results.

Let us make no mistake. Jobs and growth as well as preserving our health and social programs have been a priority of this government from the very beginning.

Since coming into office, we have initiated a series of actions to stimulate immediate job creation. We have worked in collaboration with municipal and provincial governments, even Quebec, in an effort to improve the well-being of all Canadians. We took immediate action. We introduced the infrastructure program which was a success from coast to coast and, for that reason, we have decided to reintroduce it.

In my riding of Saint-Denis, one of the biggest infrastructure programs was launched to renovate Jarry Tennis Stadium and thereby ensure that the international tennis tournament remains in Montreal. In the case of my riding, I have seen tangible evidence of Canadian tax dollars working to improve the well-being of my constituents.

In 1996 alone, more than $3.5 million has been invested in the riding of Saint-Denis by various ministers and state secretariats. With these subsidies, organizations were able to carry out many projects, bettering the lives of our fellow citizens and creating more than 50 permanent jobs and nearly 80 summer jobs.

Several non-governmental organizations, including La Jarnigoine literacy centre in Villeray and the recreational and educational and heritage activities association, have received federal subsidies. Moisson Montréal, and its affiliate Renaissance Montréal, were also able to further their objectives in providing the most disadvantaged with either food or clothing at a very low cost.

One of the priorities I set for myself when I ran in the last election was to ensure a better future for young people in Saint-Denis.

I agree wholeheartedly with the Minister of Finance who said in his budget speech this week: "Let us recognize that Canada's greatest natural resources do not lie buried deep in the ground but in the skills and talents of those who walk on it".

The youth employment strategy announced last week by the Minister of Human Resources Development will help young people achieve their goals by providing them with the necessary tools.

Some $60 million of the amount earmarked in the 1996 budget was used to double the number of student summer jobs, which climbed to 60,000 in the summer of 1996.

New internship programs in partnership with the private sector will be put in place to allow young Canadians to gain work experience, a first job. How many times have we heard frustrated graduates say: "I have the degree, now if I could only get some job experience". We have given them that opportunity.

Total federal spending on youth employment programs, including Youth Services Canada, Youth Internship Canada and Student Connections, over three years, 1996 to 1999, will be about $1 billion, a substantial commitment to Canada's future leaders.

Several organizations in the riding of Saint-Denis have already been able to hire under the summer career placement program, including the Coopérative fédérée du Québec, the Copains de Saint-Simon, Résidence Louvain and Cap du College de Bois-de-Boulogne.

In addition, we have carried out in Saint-Denis four Youth Service Canada projects, providing employment for 63 young people.

I will mention two examples today, the first one is the Octave Cremazie project. Fifteen young people who had never had any opportunities are now working in cleaning the environment in one sector of my riding. The other example is the Park Extension Youth Organization. We gave these kids their first opportunity to work and have some experience in working with a team. It was the first time that it had ever been done in one of the poorest districts in all of Canada.

The Liberal government's fourth budget will also help students and their parents deal with the increased cost of higher education, through three important measures: the amount on which the education tax credit is based will be doubled, the student loans program will be improved by providing a longer payment period for students, and the ceiling on annual contributions to an educational savings plan will be doubled. Once all these measures are in place, they will increase by $275 million per year tax assistance to students and their families.

I think this is good news to the students of Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne and throughout the province of Quebec. At a time when the unemployment rate for young people is close to 20 per cent in Quebec, it is inappropriate for provincial authorities to criticize any attempt by the federal government to improve the situation.

Small and medium size businesses with fewer than 15 employees account for approximately 42 per cent of all private sector employment. They have generated between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of all new jobs in Canada over the past three years. In Saint-Denis, small and medium size businesses dominate the industrial sector.

Last month I organized an information seminar for these entrepreneurs. Despite the snowstorm, nearly 100 business people were present. Many were impressed with the gamut of services which have been introduced by the Minister of Industry and by the Secretary of State for the Federal Office of Regional Development.

We often hear those same entrepreneurs complaining about the amount of paperwork they have to complete. The 1997 budget, along with the Minister of National Revenue, addressed these concerns. For example, the requirement to file monthly payroll deductions will be eliminated for small businesses with a perfect compliance record. They will now be permitted to file quarterly. This measure has the potential of benefiting up to 650,000 small businesses.

In addition, the budget proposes to raise the ceiling on the Small Business Loans Act from $12 billion to $14 billion, providing additional borrowing assistance for fixed assets. Budgets are not just numbers. They speak of people's futures, their economic, social and mental well-being.

To illustrate the important role of government in people's lives I wish to quote a great Canadian born economist, John Kenneth Galbraith. He said: "There must be, most of all, an effective safety net-individual and family support-for those who live on the lower edges of the system or below. This is humanely essential. This is also necessary for human freedom. Nothing sets such stern limits on the liberty of the citizen as the total absence of money".

Let us not forget that 1997 is the international year for the eradication of poverty. We have made a commitment to that effect to the poor children and families of the country. The measures introduced in the budget are important steps toward this goal. But that is only the beginning. We must do more. We are now at the crossroads of our road map.

As of July 1998, the federal contribution for children will go up from $5.1 billion to $6 billion. The Canada child tax benefit will provide increased support to one million Canadian families, and their children.

The two levels of governments made a commitment to create a new national child tax benefit program, which would be based on the Canada child tax benefit.

We did our share and I hope the provinces, including the separatist government in Quebec, will do theirs, so that as much money as possible is available to reduce child poverty.

The road has been a difficult one. We can all attest to that. All members of the House, on both sides, felt the suffering and loss of hope which many families and young people have endured these past few years. We have made many difficult decisions in the past three years, but we had few choices. Thus we have strived once again with this budget to provide a road map which will better the quality of life of all Canadians as we approach a new millennium; a map which will lead us to eliminate social and economic inequalities, a map that guarantees educational and work opportunities for our youth-