Larry McCormick

[Heritage Day, February 21st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate Canada's Heritage Day 2000.

Each Heritage Day celebrates a different aspect of the places, people and events which have helped to shape our country. This year the theme is “Our Farming Heritage”.

One of the oldest sectors of the economy, farming in Canada is a story of nation building. Much of Canada was first settled by farmers. The historic patterns of farm settlement and distinctive farm buildings in the various regions of Canada are permanent features of our landscape.

Today more than 98% of all the farms in Canada remain family owned and operated. Agriculture has contributed significantly to Canada's wealth, despite the fact that only 3% of Canada's population farms and only 6.8% of land in Canada is being farmed.

Being one of our top five industries, agri-food is also one of the most dynamic, high tech industries. It provides a wide range of high quality products from all of Canada's regions, playing a vital role in the strength of our economy and making significant contributions to rural communities.

I am proud to celebrate our farming heritage today and encourage Canadians to do so throughout the year.

[Agriculture, February 8th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, on January 16 the family farm tribute was held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. This successful afternoon of entertainment and education saw 13,000 people in attendance and was broadcast live across Canada by CBC Newsworld and CFRB.

A long list of performers from Gordon Lightfoot, Michael Burgess and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to children's entertainer Fred Penner inspired event goers. Participants also frequented the exhibit gallery educational booths set up by Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, by Health Canada and by agricultural organizations like the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

Urban Canadians who make up more than two-thirds of Canada's population enjoy tremendous benefits from the commitment and contribution of our farmers. Canadian farmers are the most efficient in the world. They produce the highest quality of foods at domestic prices that are the envy of other countries.

On behalf of Rural Caucus I wish to acknowledge the efforts of the member for Broadview—Greenwood in collaboration with Ronnie The Hawk Hawkins in spearheading this event. Through their efforts—

[Trade, November 29th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this week in Seattle, Washington ministers of the 135 member nations of the World Trade Organization will launch the next round of trade talks on agriculture.

WTO critics complain that the WTO favours big business interests and undermines the survival of the family farm which is very important to all of us. What are these talks going to do for the Canadian family farm?

[The Late Roderick Webb, November 2nd, 1999]

Madam Speaker, today it is an honour for me to pay tribute to a former parliamentarian, the hon. member for Hastings—Frontenac, Roderick Arthur Ennis Webb, who at 89 years passed away on October 1.

I did not have the privilege of knowing Mr. Webb personally, but I know the high regard held for him by members of his community of Norwood and throughout the riding. It is through the affectionate stories of many of his friends, colleagues and family that I have come to appreciate his life, one that was more complete than many.

Rod Webb was an athlete, a war veteran, a small businessman, an electrician, a community builder, a politician and a family man. In his youth Mr. Webb was a Trent Valley hockey league star defenceman. During World War II he served as a master mechanic with the 407 Demon Squadron in the RCAF and continued his relationship with the military long after. Out of great respect for his commitment and advocacy, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 300 gave him a rare life membership.

He started a small business in appliance repair and other electrical work. Plying his services, Webb's good will and generosity became well known by residents for miles around.

Webb was known as a natural leader whose love of his community and church was evidenced by his actions. He took every opportunity to promote his community. He was an encyclopedia of his town's history and knew people for miles around.

Webb's involvement in community organizations included the Masonic Lodge, the Trent Valley Shriners and the Travellers Association. He had a hand in numerous initiatives at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. A past-president of the Norwood Agriculture Society, he was also an enthusiastic key member on the Norwood Fair Board. He left his mark on infrastructure projects ranging from bringing water to town in 1949, to the GA Brethen Coliseum.

A man who loved to talk with people, Rod Webb's energy, sense of humour and generous nature attracted many friends. It also helped lay the groundwork for his career in politics. Rod Webb cherished political life. He served as councillor and as reeve of the village of Norwood for 13 years. In 1959 he ran successfully as a Progressive Conservative for a seat in Canada's parliament. Webb enjoyed three consecutive re-elections, faithfully serving his constituents as the member for Hastings—Frontenac until his retirement in 1968.

My heartfelt best wishes go out to his wife Roxie Webb, his son Fred, and his grandchildren. Rod will be missed.

[Remembrance Day, November 1st, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the 20th century has been kind to Canada. We have been blessed with the absence of war in our land, was as it has been known only too well in other parts of the world.

Since the turn of the last century, more than 1.4 million Canadians served off our coasts and abroad on behalf of their country in five wars, and in numerous peacekeeping missions. More than 116,000 never lived to see their peaceful home again.

This coming Remembrance Day, Canadians are being asked to participate in a two minute wave of silence; silence for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and for those who have suffered and who are still suffering, silence to show our solidarity as a nation in promoting world peace.

I applaud the leadership shown by the Royal Canadian Legion who with Veterans Affairs Canada and funding by the Millennium Bureau of Canada are rightly encouraging the revival of this custom.

On November 11, I will be participating in the two minute wave of silence and encourage all Canadians to please pause in what they are doing for two well-spent minutes.

Lest we forget.

[Supply, October 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I believe the province of Alberta recently put some more money into the program for its producers. It was very welcome.

I want to question the previous speaker and other members of the Reform Party, many of whom are from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, two great provinces, on whether they have asked their provincial governments to put more money into the program. As I said before, the top AIDA officials will be coming in front of our committee tomorrow and the ministers of agriculture for both Manitoba and Saskatchewan will be appearing before the House of Commons agriculture committee on Thursday.

I ask the member to continue to look for all possible support in his own provincial government areas so we can work with him.

[Supply, October 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think this would be the time to share one of my passions, which is spending my personal time chasing around the ghost towns of Canada for the last 30 years. I do not want to see any more ghost towns come about.

In Manitoba and Saskatchewan today there are communities that are very much at risk. That is why we invested money into community access sites so people could go to the libraries and the schools to get the information they need.

We want to do the very best we can for our people. I have spoken to many people in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta this year. There is a crisis there that we need to work on. The government caucus has worked on it for several months. We look for the support of the House when we bring forward any new ideas.

[Supply, October 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the government's $900 million will be invested in rural Canada and I hope we can work toward investing more.

I notify the member and all members of the House that the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, which is well represented by members of the Reform Party and of the Conservative Party, invited the top officials of AIDA to appear before it, I believe, tomorrow morning. I am sure it will be a vigorous session. I look forward to asking some questions.

On Thursday of this week we have invited the ministers of agriculture for Saskatchewan and Manitoba to appear before us for a limited amount of time. We want to work with people. Commodity prices is a very serious situation, but the situation is worldwide. We are committed to the best we can do for rural Canada.

[Supply, October 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate any questions about supply management because I will personally defend it the very best I can. It is working. We all agree that we have the best quality of food and the safest supply of food in the world. It is less expensive today to buy milk or to buy butter in Canada than it is in the United States.

The government will fight to protect our producers. Yes, a previous government worked at it but Reform was not there showing support for farmers since supply management. I would ask its members to talk to their western colleagues in the supply management business.

Supply management is the only part of the agriculture sector that has been healthy each year in the past, and I ask the member to support it.

[Supply, October 25th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I will sharing my time with another member.

It is a pleasure to take part in the debate. While my colleagues are, quite rightly, addressing what the government is doing for farmers, I will speak about our commitment to the rural communities that are so much a part of our great agri-food sector and many other sectors.

Rural Canada is the backbone of the country. Rural Canada is home to about one in three Canadians. It is the small towns, villages, outports and aboriginal communities that together form the backbone of the country. Rural communities may depend on fishing, tourism, manufacturing or resource based industries for employment, but in many parts of Canada agriculture is the cornerstone of the rural economy of an area.

As the farm goes so go the implement dealer, the seed and fertilizer merchant, the co-op, indeed the whole town, and often right back to the steel mills. Income earned on the farm ends up paying for the health, education, recreation and cultural services that healthy communities need. When the farm sector is in financial difficulty the whole community suffers.

Right now in a number of regions in Canada farm families are having financial problems. Some of them are brought on by local droughts, floods and other climatic problems. Other farm families are suffering because of the depressed prices caused by international trade issues. Individual farmers have no control over these problems.

As others in the House have mentioned, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has been working within Canada to shore up our domestic farm safety net programs. He has been working on the international stage as well to get rid of the production distorting subsidies that are driving prices down. In addition, the federal government is providing support to the agricultural sector through its $60 million a year CARD fund, the Canadian adaptation and rural development fund. In so doing we are also supporting rural communities that depend on the sector.

Some of the support is helping farmers directly in acquiring new production and marketing techniques. Other support is helping develop management skills that can be transferred to off farm activities and contribute to the capacity of a community to engage in other economic activities beyond primary agriculture.

Farm safety programming and leadership skills developed for farming are examples of initiatives that provide significant benefits to world communities. The adaptation programming provided by CARD not only strengthens farms and food enterprises but enhances the role individuals in the agri-food sector play in their communities.

Beyond strictly agricultural related programs the federal framework for action in rural Canada has been developed, laying out an approach for the government to follow in its support of rural communities and the sectors that sustain them. This framework draws on the programs and services available through other federal departments and agencies. The government is looking at how we can bring together a range of activities to help the farm sector at this time of need.

In three consecutive throne speeches our government has stated its commitment to a rural Canada made up of vibrant communities and a sustainable resource base. With rural Canadians themselves in the lead we are building a rural Canada where residents have access to the tools, information and skills they need to make informed decisions and to take full advantage of the opportunities for personal community development, a rural Canada where citizens have access to science and technology, infrastructure and services to be full partners in Canada's knowledge based community and society.

Two weeks ago the governor general put some more flesh on commitments that will help bring rural Canada into the 21st century. First, the government will harness the energy and the knowledge of our youth, both rural and urban, to help connect rural and urban communities to the information highway. This is part of an overall commitment to a knowledge based economy where distance is less of a taboo. Distance will not be a barrier in the future. In the words of the governor general, technology enables urban and rural Canadians from the Atlantic to the west to the north to compete globally. In five years we will be the most connected nation in the world.

It is not just the high technology that will empower the economy of the new century. We will also need the physical infrastructure to move people and goods. The federal government will also work with the provinces and the private sector to develop and implement a five year plan to improve our infrastructure in small, remote and rural communities as well as in all cities. I am sure that very popular upcoming program will have the support of all members of the House.

These are very tangible commitments for Canadians living in rural remote communities. They fit into a pattern that the government has been following since it took office. We have steadily focused on making sure that rural Canadians share in the benefits of being part of this great country. After all, they helped make it great.

In August the Prime Minister appointed a Secretary of State for World Development. Again I thank the Prime Minister for the great vision he shared with us. This appointment serves as a strong signal of the importance the government attaches to rural Canada.

The government has also developed the rural lens to make sure the impact of policies and programs for rural Canadians has been given full consideration at all levels of the decision making process.

One size does not fit all when it comes to developing policy in Canada. The Secretary of State for Rural Development will have an opportunity with his cabinet colleagues to ensure the rural lens is being applied when policy discussions take place and the challenges and priorities of rural Canadians are understood and taken into account both in our current initiatives and in our long term planning.

Another important element of the government's work in rural Canada is to ensure rural Canadians see tangible results. We have already started to do some very specific work at the community level by introducing a number of pilot projects across the country. So far the Government of Canada has invested $3.8 million through Canadian rural partnership to initiate 68 pilot projects all over Canada. The CRP funds allowed project proponents to lever another $10 million from other federal departments and various other sources.

One project in Saskatchewan, for example, is aimed at developing and implementing an alternative to the current grain handling system to generate more returns for producers. The government is now assessing proposals for a second round of pilot projects. I am certain it will find other gems to enable rural Canadians to continue to make a valuable contribution to Canada's future successes.

Beyond the CRP pilot projects the Government of Canada has also made great strides in rural communities with the community access program, SchoolNet, Community Futures Development Centres and Health Canada's office of rural health where Dr. John Wooten is the chief executive director.

The government believes that the choice to live in rural Canada should not be a choice that results in reduced citizenship rights. Simply because people live in rural Canada does not mean they should have to put up with an inferior level of health care, an inferior level of social safety nets or inferior access to government services.

Rural Canada is the backbone of a large part of our economic wealth. It is a great place and full of great energy and ingenuity. The resources of the producers of fine food are shared with all Canadians. Healthy rural communities are essential to a healthy agricultural food sector. The government is working to build a strong foundation that will ensure the future of both the sector and rural Canada as a whole.

I call on all members of parliament to work with us to make the future as bright as it can possibly be. The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food has played a very important role. Members of the committee from all five parties have worked very hard and very well together. We have much left to do. I ask for all people to co-operate and work together.