Bev Oda

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, to the best of my knowledge we have followed all the rules and the necessary information has been posted.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, we are not as obsessed about the structure of government. We are obsessed with making sure that these communities and the policies are making Canada a strong country, an inclusive country recognizing its diversity. This diversity will benefit Canada. That is why we will ensure that whatever the programs are in multiculturalism, they are going to serve those communities and serve all Canadians very well going on into the future.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, let me assure the member that our commitment to multiculturalism and its programs will continue. They will be evaluated with due process, just as the sports programs will be evaluated to ensure we are getting--

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, unless the member has a camera in my office, he would not know.

The member is putting out false accusations, false allegations and misrepresentations. I read applications, I read the analysis, and I do it in French as well. How else would a minister recognize the improvements that can be made in every program to ensure there is reasonable distribution and that taxpayers' dollars are going to be used in a way that is going to help the organizations and the communities that are intended to be helped?

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, the member says that I should know my responsibilities, and I certainly do, but he should also know the responsibilities of the different ministers in this government.

That particular program comes under Parks Canada. At heritage there is the cultural spaces program which assists artistic and cultural organizations renovate, upgrade and improve their facilities.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, that is not accurate. The summative evaluation was publicly released and stated that the volunteer program did not meet either the Government of Canada's or the departmental priorities.

This government is recognizing the contribution of our volunteers. They are the backbone of our communities and we are doing this across government. We support volunteer organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters through Human Resources and Social Development Canada, Canadian Parents for French through official languages, the Victorian Order of Nurses through Health Canada, and the Red Cross through DFAIT. In fact, our priority is to support individuals, communities, and people who volunteer in their communities and neighbourhoods.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, I just said that would not be eligible because it is neither a cultural nor an arts or heritage festival.

Mr. Chair, do you know why these people and my colleagues are here? It is because they believe this is an important issue. This is important to Canadians. It is important to Canadian life and it is important to us as a country.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, I know what my responsibilities are, as does every member of this government.

Our responsibility is to use taxpayers' dollars respectfully and meaningfully, not to create a works program that only supports Wal-Mart, and not to just give money and jobs to riding associations. It is not our responsibility to create a program that ends up in sponsorship with $40 million going to a political party.

We were elected because Canadians wanted a change. They wanted us to clean it up and make sure their dollars are going to be used in the most meaningful manner.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, obviously, with no criteria that festival or activity would not qualify. That is why I wanted to make sure that everybody understood that we wanted to set up proper criteria.

In fact, I have told members of his party as well that there is no program framework and there is no criteria. If he would like to work on behalf of his constituents, he could input meaningful criteria to support his festivals.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, as I reiterated in the House, we had been getting many requests from members from all parties for festival funding. As I indicated, there was a fund that supported festivals and unfortunately, that became the sponsorship fund. That is why that fund was cancelled. This government will support local festivals and activities, but we will do it with accountability, transparency and--