Rey D. Pagtakhan

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I should note that the member opposite was a member of the provincial legislature. At that time if at any time the provincial government she was part of did not inform Manitobans on the government's programs, then I would say she would have a legitimate basis to pose that question.

On the substance, it is our duty as a federal government to inform Canadians of the budget. How can we not be proud of $11.5 billion for the health care system as new money over and above the $12.5 billion that is presently there? Even the NDP premier of Saskatchewan applauded budget '99.

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have noted that in the question the hon. member has not really doubted the merit of the study. He has only raised grave doubts as to the duplication of the efforts. In other words, it appears to be more about a wounded ego than anything else. On that note I would say that unless he says that it was not a good study, that type of question should not merit an answer at this time.

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as I was indicating when debate was interrupted for question period, budget '99 has allocated $30 million for the Medical Research Council and Health Canada's national health research and development program for each of the next three years. This new allocation is to provide immediate support for advanced health research.

For example, at the University of Manitoba, researchers are working to reduce the 30% rejection rate for kidney transplants. Moreover, $65 million is initially set aside in the year 2000-01 to support the launch of the envisioned Canadian institutes of health research, an amount that will be increased to $175 million the year thereafter.

The combination of all the initiatives announced in budget '99 is to increase the funding for health research, both medical and nursing, by $550 million over the remainder of this fiscal year and the coming next three years.

Let me now return to the component of the budget that focuses on creation, dissemination, sharing and the application of knowledge as it impacts the economy, and on the component of the budget that supports employment.

Over the next three years $465 million has been earmarked for the youth employment strategy and another $110 million per year for the Canada jobs fund. These two particular strategic funds alone will help ensure a bright future for our youth as well as attend to the employment needs of our adults of today.

First, to help create knowledge, the federal government has earmarked the following budgetary amounts: $200 million to the Canada Foundation for Innovation; $75 million to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; $15 million to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; $31 million to the National Research Council; and $55 million for biotechnology research and development by federal science based departments and agencies. These amounts total $376 million for initiatives to create knowledge.

Second, to help disseminate and share the created knowledge, budget '99 has allocated the following amounts: $60 million to smart communities to establish demonstration projects that promote the effective use of information technologies in such areas as education and lifelong learning, government services, business and industry, employment, library and information services, transportation and culture; and $60 million to GeoConnections to make available to the information highway comprehensive and integrated data about Canada's geography, environment, people and resources.

Third, to commercialize knowledge so as to reap the economic and social benefits for all Canadians, budget '99 has allocated the following amounts: $90 million to the networks of centres of excellence; $150 million to technology partnerships Canada; $50 million to the Business Development Bank of Canada to expand financing for small and medium size knowledge based and export oriented businesses; and $430 million to the Canadian Space Agency.

Budget '99 is indeed the best budget of them all. These initiatives in budget '99 are the products of the determination, will and sacrifice that Canadians have collectively shared since 1993 when they entrusted this government to change their despair to hope, their pessimism to optimism, their doubt to a renewed sense of confidence.

I am humbly proud to be part of this government's team that worked with Canadians to succeed in eliminating the national deficit, balancing the books of the nation and reducing the national debt and personal income taxes.

I am proud to be part of this government that believes we have achieved what we have achieved not because of any single value we have pursued, but because of the many values we have advanced together, because of the sharing and openness we have shown to each other as fellow citizens.

I am proud to be part of this government team that working with Canadians is truly building today for a better tomorrow.

[Research And Development, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, research and innovation are key to the excellence of Canada's health care system and to the prosperity of our nation.

Could the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development tell the House how the 1999 budget will prevent the loss of our medical, nursing and basic research scientists who leave Canada?

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to speak on budget '99 which has as its theme building today for a better tomorrow; yes, a better tomorrow for our adults and youths of today and for our fellow citizens yet to be born in anticipation of the coming century of the new millennium.

In today's news Statistics Canada reported that the Canadian economy for the whole of 1998 grew at the rate of 3%, turning in one of its best quarters of the decade at 4.6%.

For individual Canadians today's news reports that the disposable income for the whole year, when adjusted for inflation, was up 1.5% from 1997, a real gain in real income.

It is this type of economic growth that the federal government is committed to sustain and surpass. Indeed it is a key goal of the government to create a strong economy that generates well paying jobs and ensures a higher standard of living for all Canadians.

That is why budget '99 will invest more than $1.8 billion over the remainder of this fiscal year and the next three years in advanced research, in innovation, in the information highway and in support of employment.

Before I focus on these budgetary items, let me at once say how extremely pleased my constituents of Winnipeg North—St. Paul received the news that among these other items, budget '99 is a health budget as well.

An additional $11.5 billion, $3.5 billion of which is an immediate one time supplement available this fiscal year, has been earmarked specifically to the health care system over the next five years, over and above the $12.5 billion cash floor presently in the Canada health and social transfers. This is a truly substantial amount that has been welcomed by provincial governments whether of the NDP or Tory banners.

This additional allocation translates to $425 million over five years for my home province of Manitoba. This health component of the budget reflects more than the amount itself. It reflects the common vision that all premiers and territorial leaders confirm as undertakings they had previously given in an exchange of correspondence with the Prime Minister at the first ministers meeting on February 4, 12 days before the budget was announced.

It reflects their undertakings that they remain committed to the five principles of medicare, universality, portability, accessibility, comprehensiveness and public administration. It reflects the common vision that they achieved in the framework for social union signed shortly before the budget was announced, that all levels of government, federal, provincial and territorial, would make themselves accountable to Canadians in an open and transparent manner.

This common vision includes the belief that research is at the core of a quality health care system, a system that will improve care and treatment, prevention certainly and hopefully a cure. It is about our hope as Canadians that a woman will overcome the tragedy of breast cancer and a man the tragedy of prostrate malignancies, that a grandfather and a grandmother will be spared premature loss of memory and that a son and daughter will regain nerve functions following a devastating accident or injury.

Hence, budget `99 has also earmarked a substantial amount for health research, $25 million to create a new research fund henceforth to be called the nurses using research and service evaluations, or NURSE fund for short.

This new initiative is to enhance the leadership role that nurses deserve to play in the health care system now and in the future. Also there is $35 million to the Canada health services research foundation.

In each of the next three years the Medical Research Council and Health Canada's national health research and development program will see an increase of $27.5 million and $2.5 million, respectively, to their annual budgets. This new allocation is to provide immediate support for advanced health research.

[The Budget, February 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is a sad commentary that the opposition due to partisanship cannot find the courage to applaud, nor the magnanimity to acknowledge, the good news budget '99 brings to all of us.

It builds on the previous five budgets of this government which has shown its sound financial management of the country: eliminating the deficit, balancing the budget and creating the surplus, thanks to the will and hard work of all Canadians.

Now, cash transfers for health to the provinces will increase by $11.5 billion over the next five years, $425 million for Manitoba, in addition to $1.4 billion of direct investment in health research and preventive programs.

Indeed budget '99 is a healthy transfusion to safeguard and strengthen medicare, the crown jewel of Canada's social programs. Its focus on health, in addition to reducing taxes by $7.7 billion and to investing in the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge speak of our faith as a people that in the finance minister's own words “there is no ambition too great for this country”.

Let us salute the government and the Canadian people.

[Citizenship Of Canada Act, February 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I do not like to interrupt the hon. member on debate. Unfortunately I have been listening for the last little while and I am lost as to the subject matter of the debate. Are we debating the citizenship bill or are we debating the white paper on immigration?

[Western Diversification, February 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Manitoba welcomes the Cangene Corporation's decision to open its new health biotechnology research and development facility in Winnipeg, not England, thanks to a $3 million repayable loan from the western diversification program.

This program illustrates the commitment of the federal government to advance the economic prosperity of the western and northern regions of Canada.

It is a facility like Cangene's that ensures the creation of jobs for Manitobans, old and young alike.

Manitobans, therefore, find it difficult to understand that another political party has, as its policy, the dismantling of the western diversification program.

The constituents of Winnipeg North—St. Paul salute the federal government for its commitment to sustain this program for Canada's western and northern regions, thereby strengthening our social union as a federation.

[Citizenship And Heritage Week, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this year's Citizenship and Heritage Week, which begins today, gives us pause for reflection. It reminds us of the rich history of our people—from the first nations and the Inuit to the early settlers and newer immigrants—who collectively have defined our common identity and shared values.

As a people, we come to help our neighbours during emergencies, but do not wait for disasters to show we really care for our fellow citizens. Witness the social union accord signed last week by the federal and provincial governments. It enhances our sense of belonging to one Canada where the quality of life of citizens will continue to be held as the guiding beacon for governance.

Truly, the unit of Canadian citizenship is neither you nor I alone, but you and I working together to achieve our common dream, the attainment of human dignity for all. This is the essence of the week. We can all take pride.

[Finance, February 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this is the time of year when what is in the federal budget becomes the focus of attention of most Canadians. They would like to know whether the national government will have addressed their priorities in the budget. They would like to know whether it will make a difference in their lives. It is in this context that tonight I bring to this House the interests and anticipation of my constituents who join other Canadians in their expectation that the 1999 budget, likely to be announced within weeks or days, will reflect their vision of this country as we head into the new millennium.

In the decade that it has been my privileged duty to serve in this House on behalf of the people of the former riding of Winnipeg North and now the riding of Winnipeg North—St. Paul and of other fellow Canadians across the country, I boldly say the forthcoming budget will be the best of them all. We can set new goals for the kind of society we want. We know we now have an even greater capacity to achieve them. Indeed, we can look forward with confidence and greater optimism as we begin the last year of this decade.

That was not the case at the beginning of this decade. It was certainly not the case in October 1993 when Canadians decided they needed a new government to successfully confront the economic and social crises our nation faced.

There was the massive federal deficit of $42 billion, escalating national debt, a double digit unemployment rate of 11.4% and economic stagnation in the country. Canada's social programs, including our most valued medicare and Canada pension plan, were on shaky ground.

Our future at that time was not something many would want to imagine. Understandably Canadians were worried, but they were equally determined to change things for the better. They elected a new government, a Liberal government. They supported the tough decisions that had to be made to bring back our future.

It was not an easy task, nor a task without pain. But working together with their new government, the Canadian people were resolved to succeed, and succeed they did. Hence they renewed their trust in this government in 1997. Today the national deficit is history. The public debt has been reduced for the first time since 1970 and low interest rates have been sustained for the longest period in three decades.

Canada's economy has been revived, creating 1.5 million new jobs since 1993. Canada is expected to lead the G-7 nations in economic growth throughout this year. The unemployment rate of 8% is at its lowest point this decade.

By 1997 the government was capable to commit $12.5 billion as cashflow for the Canada health and social transfer, echoing the key recommendation of the national forum on health.

Not only was the government able to deliver on this commitment, it was able to increase last year's budget for the Medical Research Council to $271.5 million and to announce new health care initiatives. I shall mention only two, $150 million for the health transition fund and $50 million for the Canada health information system.

The government has dedicated $1.7 billion for the national child tax benefit program, $2.5 billion for the Canada millennium scholarship fund and $465 million over the next three years for the youth employment strategy. These are some of the initiatives that speak of the government's record to date, achieved in just over five years.

For my home province of Manitoba, this record of achievement on the part of the federal government translates to 5.9% unemployment rate and $5.3 million invested in the province through the Canada jobs fund between 1996 and 1998, and $2 million more for this year and next.

Eighty-two million dollars have been transferred to Manitoba via the Canada-Manitoba infrastructure works program, $2 million through technology partnership Canada, $17 million through the western economic development program and $24 million more via the Winnipeg development agreement.

Team Canada brought over $3 million worth of contracts to Manitoba businesses, and the province received $144.5 million of federal transfers through the Canada-Manitoba labour market agreement.

For social programs, $260 million will have been transferred to Manitoba via the Canada health and social transfer by the end of the fifth year, starting 1997, not to mention the increasing amount received by the provincial government through tax points and additional amounts received by way of equalization payments.

Through the Medical Research Council's regional partnership program, the University of Manitoba alone as an example received over $4.6 million in addition to 19 Manitoba projects whose funding will be finalized in the coming months.

Forty million dollars have been transferred directly to Manitoba children and low income families through the national child benefit program.

These are some of the joint federal-provincial partnership programs and new federal initiatives that have directly benefited Manitoba.

The Government of Canada has also allocated $185 million for financial assistance relief for victims of the Red River flood and another $15 million for flood prevention in the future.

What I have outlined as the federal government's record reflects our commitment as Canadians for one another's well-being, a true measure of Canadian citizenship.

We come to the help of our neighbours during emergencies, but we do not wait for calamities to show that we really do care for our fellow citizens.

This is precisely what the federal government has championed when it champions the need for a working federation, for the renewal and strengthening of our social union.

It is only when we speak of values such as are reflected in the record of this government that we can truly speak of Canada as a nation.

Canadians can anticipate that budget 1999 will be a budget that will focus on the health of our health care system, the crown jewel of our social programs. The Prime Minister has already made this assurance on record on more than one occasion. Budget 1999 will be more than about medicare only, critical and most valued as it is. The budget is about the entirety of Canada and the many government programs that touch the lives of all Canadians.

Therefore as a prebudget submission I would like to indicate to the House and to the government that my constituents would like the government to continue on its commitment to sustain a balanced budget, and reduce further the national debt and taxes.

This is premised on the belief that sustaining the fiscal house in order ensures the sustainability of our many valued social programs. Indeed this member is confident that the government is resolved to continue delivering the economic conditions necessary to secure and enhance our quality of life.

We have made great progress since 1993 when the government first received its mandate. We have continued on that great progress since 1997 when this mandate was renewed. We need to stay focused on what we can achieve together that matters to all of us and what we have achieved.

Indeed I am privileged to be part of the Liberal team whose government is resolved not to bring back the past now that we have again a secure hold on the future. This we must pledge for the future of our people, for the future of our country.