Andy Savoy

[Lumber Industry, October 31st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Trade. Softwood lumber is a $10 billion industry in Canada. In my riding of Tobique--Mactaquac there are 14 sawmills representing some 2,500 jobs and one in six jobs is dependent upon the softwood lumber industry.

Taking into consideration the decision of the U.S. department of commerce today to impose a further tariff of 12.58% on all Canadian softwood lumber heading into the U.S., what is the government doing to restore unencumbered access to U.S. markets?

[The Environment, October 23rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, in budget 2000 the Minister of Finance announced $9 million to develop feasible and nationally acceptable sustainable development indicators. As a result the Minister of the Environment created the Canadian Information System for the Environment task force.

After consulting with Canadians the task force has released a report proposing the next steps to develop an integrated environmental information system. Could the Minister of the Environment tell us how these task force findings move us toward that goal?

[Renovation Month, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to announce that October is Renovation Month, an annual event put on by the Canadian Home Builders' Association to provide consumers with information on home renovations, as well as showcase the building industry's professionals and their products and services.

As the federal body responsible for housing, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation supports this event and plays a key role by providing Canadians with valuable information to help them make the right choices and decisions regarding the renovation and maintenance of their homes.

This fall CMHC is helping Canadians who are planning renovations by providing them with free renovation information like the “Before You Renovate” guide and “About Your House” fact sheets on projects such as windows, roofing, kitchens, bathrooms and more.

CMHC is the most reliable and objective source of housing information in Canada. In this, and in many other ways, CMHC is committed to helping improve the quality of life for Canadians and communities across the country.

[The Acadians, October 3rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am very interested in speaking today to Motion No. 241 by the member for Verchères--Les-Patriotes.

Our Bloc Quebecois colleague would like the British crown to offer apologies for the deportation of the Acadians in 1755, which in Acadia is still called the “Grand Dérangement”.

The Acadian people suffered terribly in this period of our history. The government tried to get rid of the Acadians by deporting them and dividing them to better assimilate them.

The Acadian people are still here, ever more vibrant thanks to their artists, writers, actors and even politicians.

We all recognize that our country's history includes some darker and more painful events. Unfortunately, the “Grand Dérangement” is one such event.

However, we sincerely believe that we cannot live in the past, but must continue to build this country, as have past generations of Acadians.

I have said that we should not live in the past, but I do not think we should forget our history either. We have to draw from its strengths and from its weaknesses. I have also said that we must keep on building this country, building our Canada. We here in the House all know that it is not a goal that is shared by the member for Verchères--Les-Patriotes or the other members of his party.

The member for Verchères--Les-Patriotes considers himself to be the advocate for the Acadian people; at least that is what he wants us to believe by bringing this motion forward in the House. When he spoke in the House on March 27, my colleague, the member for Madawaska--Restigouche, referred to the logic of the Bloc Quebecois, explaining that the member for Verchères--Les-Patriotes' sudden interest for the fate of Acadians and of francophones outside of Quebec was surprising.

This is the main thing. It is this logic that we have to question. In fact, the real question is quite simple. We have to ask ourselves why. Why this sudden interest from the Bloc for the Acadians? What motivates this interest?

We all know the main goal that the party of the member for Verchères--Les-Patriotes is pursuing. He and his colleagues in the Bloc have but one goal, the destruction of this country. Unlike the other members of this House, they are not here to work toward making Canada a better and safer place to live.

Why is the Bloc Quebecois suddenly so interested in the plight of Acadians and francophones outside Quebec? We all know that according to the Bloc Quebecois logic there are those who are saved, who live in Quebec, and those who are lost, who live outside the promised land.

My colleague from Madawaska--Restigouche already said that Acadians helped build this country. They worked hard to protect their culture and their identity. They do not need the help of the Bloc Quebecois.

Acadians founded schools, colleges, universities, theatres, newspapers and publishing houses. They achieved extraordinary cultural success in areas such as theatre, cinema, visual arts, music and literature. They gave the world writers, poets, artists, musicians and singers. They developed an impressive network of businesses and created jobs.

They helped make Canada what it is today. They did not wait to be taken by the hand and have decisions made for them. Instead of doing what is being proposed by the Bloc Quebecois, I think we should focus on celebrating and recognizing the enormous contribution of the Acadian people to this great country that is Canada.

Motion No. 241 proposed by the member for Verchères--Les-Patriotes hides the true intentions of its sponsor and his party. For that reason, we cannot support it.

I will conclude with a quote that truly reflects the position of the Bloc Quebecois. Here is what the Bloc member for Rimouski--Neigette-et-la Mitis said on September 30, 1997:

I have no objection to there being a French Canadian people. But I am no longer part of that group. When I was growing up, I was taught in school that I was a French Canadian. Later on, I was told that I was a Quebecer and I like that better. But I will not be faulted for preferring to be a Quebecer to being a French Canadian. As a French Canadian, I am a second class citizen. As a Quebecer, I am a first class citizen. That is the difference.

[National Security, October 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I will begin by commending the Prime Minister on his skilful handling of the terrorist crisis and for keeping trade on the agenda during a recent meeting with President Bush. With $1.4 billion in ongoing trade between Canada and the U.S. every day the Prime Minister knows that the success of our businesses in the global market depends on the free flow of goods, people and services.

In my riding of Tobique--Mactaquac which borders the state of Maine constituents are acutely aware of the importance of an open border. For centuries we have enjoyed a unique friendship with our southern neighbours. It is a border that has united rather than divided us.

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks the open character of our border has been called into question. Maintaining a balance between our security and our economy is vital. Effective border management cannot be achieved in isolation. We need joint initiatives to encourage the flow of people and goods across the border while at the same time protecting public health and safety. Simply put, we need to build bridges, not walls, between our two countries.

John F. Kennedy, speaking to parliament in May 1961, stated:

Geography has made us neighbours, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, necessity has made us allies.

Never have these words rung so true as now.

[The Environment, September 27th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of the Environment.

Last summer we had too many days with poor air quality. Canadians are worried. Some Canadians are even suffering from respiratory ailments.

What is the Government of Canada doing to address this serious situation and when will Canadians see a difference in our air quality?

[Supply, September 18th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, we will live up to our NATO commitments and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with our American allies. We will come up with a solution but it will not be a knee-jerk solution. It will be a well thought out, well devised solution that respects the intent of our relationship with the Americans.

[Supply, September 18th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, within our riding we share border communities: Woodstock, New Brunswick with Houlton, Maine; Perth-Andover, New Brunswick with Fort Fairfield, Maine; Grand Falls, New Brunswick with Limestone, Maine. Within each of those communities, the families are related on both sides of the border. We have aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters living on both sides. The border really unites us as opposed to dividing us.

We are grieving with them jointly because we are all related in that area to our neighbours to the south.

[Supply, September 18th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time.

On September 11, 2001, we as Canadians expressed a multitude of unpleasant emotions: sorrow, fear, outrage and grief to name a few.

Today I would like to speak about how we as Canadians grieved with and for our neighbours and I would like to highlight some of the actions taken by constituents of Tobique--Mactaquac.

First and foremost, on behalf of the residents of Tobique--Mactaquac I want to offer my condolences to those people whose lives have been devastated by this tragedy.

In 1783, when the Webster-Ashburton treaty drew a demarcation line between the state of the Main and the province of New Brunswick, a relationship that transcends any geographical barrier was already formed.

Since 1783, the border that separates Maine and New Brunswick has in most respects remained invisible. We are bound by strong historical, social, cultural, economic and family ties with our neighbours to the south.

The majority of constituents in my riding can claim Americans among their kin. They can also count Americans among their most important business patrons and partners.

The biggest industries in my riding have plants on both sides of the border: McCain Foods, with plants in Easton and Ashland, Maine, and Grand Falls and Florenceville, New Brunswick; Norbord and Nexfor, with sawmills in Ashland, Maine, Juniper and Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, to name a few.

For centuries the Maine-New Brunswick border has united rather than divided us. This was never more evident than on Friday, September 14, when over 400 people filled the Woodstock Community College gymnasium for a sermon to remember the victims of last Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

The response was remarkable, given that my offices, together with the Woodstock Ministerial Association, had only begun promoting the national day of mourning event four hours earlier.

Some $2,000 was collected for the Canadian Red Cross at this multi-faith service and sympathies to the American people were expressed in books of condolences. The books are now being circulated throughout the riding. Once filled, they will be delivered to Maine congressman John Baldacci, with whom I formed a friendship during a spring softwood lumber lobby in Washington, D.C.

Ironically, Congressman Baldacci and I were to co-host a cross-border summit last Saturday to exchange information and develop ways to increase trade between our two countries.

In the service's closing prayer, Canon Walter Williams recognized the humanitarian efforts of one young individual, Candace Salmon, who was at that moment in neighbouring Houlton, Maine, for a similar service.

Moved by the horrific images she watched on television, the grade 12 student decided she would do her part to help heal the wounds. On her own initiative Candace collected over $300 on her lunch hours, purchased flowers from her donations and presented the plants and donations to border guards at Houlton, Maine. She then took the remaining proceeds to Houlton High School where the school's civil liberties class accepted her donation on behalf of the American Red Cross.

So touched were the students by Candace's act of selfless generosity that some openly wept. Before Candace and her friend left the Houlton school that day, her Maine peers presented her with multicoloured ribbons, symbols of sympathy and solidarity, to give to her classmates back in Woodstock. It was agreed that their two schools would develop an exchange program to build on cross border relations between the regions' youth.

I ask my fellow MPs to let Candace be an inspiration to us all, for in one gesture of kindness and compassion she lifted the hearts of those who grieved, aided rescue and relief efforts with money for the American Red Cross and initiated a new partnership for youth in two border communities.

May we follow Candace's example in the days and weeks ahead of us as we aid our greatest friend and ally. Let us show compassion and support and let us share resources with the United States in its hour of need.

Candace's actions embody the spirit of co-operation and friendship my riding has enjoyed for centuries with our neighbours to the south. I ask all Canadians to let this spirit be the guide to our actions as we struggle to come to grips with this unspeakable act of evil.

[Candace Salmon, September 18th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the horrific terrorist acts of last Tuesday have affected Canadians in an unprecedented manner. In my riding of Tobique--Mactaquac, bordering the state of Maine, our relationship with the U.S. has been particularly close.

Tuesday's tragedy has been met with an outpouring of sympathy and solidarity, the likes of which have not been seen for decades.

I want to make particular mention of Candace Salmon, a grade 12 student from Woodstock, New Brunswick. A witness to the horrific acts on television, she felt moved to do her part.

On her own initiative, Candace collected over $300 on her lunch hours, purchased flowers and condolence cards and presented them to border guards and high school students at Houlton, Maine.

The remaining proceeds were then donated to the American Red Cross for relief efforts. So touched were the students and border guards by Candace's act of generosity that some openly wept.

Candace's noble act exemplifies what is best about the human spirit, and it is my hope that in the weeks and months to come, this spirit will prevail.