Mr. Chair, I rise on a point of order. May I remind the minister that the length of time to respond should correspond to the length of time it took to ask the question.
House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2011, with 55% of the vote.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I rise on a point of order. May I remind the minister that the length of time to respond should correspond to the length of time it took to ask the question.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I rise on a point of order. My concern is about the length of time of the response compared to the length of time it took to ask the question.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, in light of the minister's response, I would assume then that redistribution would come out of administrative and departmental costs. May I then ask the minister for her assurance that no program will be cut and no funding agency will be cut, and that the levels of support will be guaranteed this year and into the next year?
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, the government claims to be a strong supporter of the arts. The minister is in control of the budget for this industry and this ministry. In light of the $9 billion surplus that the government has accumulated this year, why can the minister not protect the arts and creators from 5% funding cuts?
Just this weekend in Montreal the minister confirmed that the federal government will be asking all of the main cultural agencies to look at ways of reducing their budgets by 5%, including the CBC, Telefilm and the National Film Board.
It is time for the minister to do more for the arts community than tour around the country professing support for the arts. It is time for her to work to protect this important segment of our country from 5% cuts across the board. Actions do speak louder than words. If the government really supports the arts, these agencies should be exempt and I ask the minister, why are they not?
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I would like to move on.
Given that the last reported figures show that $4.3 billion of production was done in Canada in television programming; given that, of that, the largest portion or $1.9 billion was foreign interest or foreign service production, primarily American production; given that these levels of production also represent over 133,000 jobs in Canada, with government support programs going only to television programs and film, but little into capacity building and with the rising Canadian dollar, with the American movement to produce more in the U.S. or Europe, with the Americans initiating legislative measures to keep more production in the U.S., we are already seeing a drop in the production industry's level of activity here in this country.
What has the minister included in these estimates to build capacity and to strengthen the Canadian production infrastructure and keep those 133,000 jobs in Canada?
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, I will ask the minister if there is a problem with the program Tomorrow Starts Today. This side of the House has never indicated it does not support the program. In fact, what we want is to ensure that the maximum dollars are going to those it was intended to support.
Why is the minister unable to provide the information I just asked for, which was a dollar figure that goes directly to creators and artists? Also, why is the minister being so alarmist and creating an unfounded sense of panic among the arts and cultural community? Why is she saying, as is reported, that the program is under serious attack, that it might not be renewed, that it is facing its sunset? In fact, she said that there is a very real chance it will not be renewed.
Is the minister unable to convince the government and her colleagues to support this program's continuation? If anyone is placing this program under serious attack it seems to be the minister herself and her own caucus. Again I ask the question: how many dollars went directly to creators and artists?
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, if I understand the rules as you explained them, the amount of time to respond to a question should be relative in terms of the amount of time taken to ask the question.
Supply November 16th, 2004
Mr. Chair, thank you for giving us this opportunity. I look forward to the next few hours. I think this is a very important discussion and debate to be having. It is important to this side of the House that we make sure we have a strong and vibrant arts and cultural community.
I would like to begin questioning today on an important arts and cultural program, Tomorrow Starts Today.
My staff has contacted the minister's office seven times over the past six weeks and has been unable to obtain any information. The Library of Parliament, a non-partisan agency that helps all members, has been unable to obtain any information. Just this morning, the minister's office told my staff that I would not understand the numbers and that the numbers would be open to misinterpretation unless explained by the minister to me.
Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain detailed financial data on this program until only a couple of hours ago. This funding represents $500 million of government money. These numbers should be readily available to all members and to all Canadians.
The members on this side of the House would like to be assured that this money is getting out to the creators and artists who need it.
On behalf of the arts and cultural communities, on behalf of all Canadians, I ask the minister, can she tell us how much of the $500 million went directly to creators, artists and cultural organizations?
If I may apologize, I know I was to do some housekeeping first. I will not be sharing my time and there will be a short preamble before each of my questions.
Chinese Canadian Recognition and Redress Act November 15th, 2004
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-333, an act to recognize the injustices done to Chinese immigrants by head taxes and exclusion legislation, to provide for recognition of the extraordinary contribution they made to Canada, to provide for redress and to promote education on Chinese Canadian history and racial harmony.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise today to introduce this bill, the Chinese-Canadian recognition and redress act. I am pleased to join the member for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette in his efforts to further this important cause.
A historical injustice was done to Chinese immigrants. Head tax and exclusion legislation was a racially based, unfair burden on an entire community. Governments should be held accountable for their actions, both positive and negative.
As a Japanese-Canadian, I remember the efforts of my father and the Japanese community to achieve the Japanese-Canadian redress agreement in the 1980s. I would not be fulfilling my father's legacy if I did not demand the same redress for the Chinese-Canadian community.
I recognize the significance this bill would have within the Chinese-Canadian community. It would allow Canada to truly move ahead with pride in its declaration as a truly multicultural country.
I ask all members in the House to join me in support of this important bill. I would also seek the unanimous consent of the House to have this bill designated Bill C-333.
The Environment November 5th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the Durham region is one of the fastest growing areas in the greater Toronto area. We need to ensure that we do not fall behind. Durham needs a regional transportation plan and the federal government is an important part of this plan. The federal portion of the gas tax that will be dedicated to assisting rural areas and smaller communities is a key building block.
I rise today to congratulate a business in my riding which is doing its part to advance transportation and environmental causes and to contribute to cost savings for our municipality. The hydrogen fuel injection system, developed by Bowmanville based Canadian Hydrogen Energy Company will result in improved fuel economy and a reduction in emissions when installed on municipal buses.
Clarington is the first municipality in Canada to install this new technology on its buses. This is the kind of forward thinking that demonstrates--