Denise Savoie

[Canadian Heritage, May 17th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as the Conservatives strip the capacity of the federal government, Canada's heritage and culture are key casualties.

Heritage buildings hold special places in the history and life of our communities. The Work Point Officer's Mess, a good example, the oldest wooden building in the Victoria area, was taken down despite pleas to the Conservative minister about its value to the community.

Victoria's heritage tax incentive program stimulates the rehabilitation of heritage buildings into hundreds of units of rental housing downtown. Yet, the federal government actively undermines the program by charging GST on the increased value to land and buildings.

Culture is a defining element of Victoria with its local arts and festivals, yet federal support is now mired in partisan politics.

I call on the government to do its part and stop leaving municipalities to struggle alone in preserving Canadian heritage and culture.

[Business of Supply, May 10th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, like many members in the House, I have received many letters from seniors who have been caught in the problem of income trusts and who have been misled either by bad financial advice and by the promise of the current Prime Minister to not tax the income trusts, and thus have found themselves in this situation.

Throughout this issue, the NDP's principal focus has been to find a fair solution that best serves the interests of ordinary Canadians. We have consistently fought to close the corporate tax loopholes.

Last year the NDP called for a moratorium on new income trusts in order to give adequate time to resolve the problems in a way that would help and would do the least damage to ordinary Canadians. I wonder where the Liberals were when the NDP called for a moratorium and a transition strategy on this issue?

[Business of Supply, May 10th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to listen to my colleague's intervention as he makes his party out to be the apostles of productivity.

I wonder what he would have to say to all the employers in my region who have thousands of employees waiting for days in passport lines because the Conservatives, after over a year of being in the House as the government, have taken very little action until recently, but are still refusing to open more passport offices in rural areas or introduce measures that would allow the extension of passports so people would not need to renew so often. I see line-ups daily going right around the block for thousands of people who tell me that they have had to take days off.

[Asian Heritage Month, May 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in honour of Asian Heritage Month, which is recognized across Canada during the month of May.

My riding is fortunate to be home to several distinct Asian communities. Their histories extend as far back as the late 1850s, when Chinese miners first arrived in Victoria for the gold rush. They soon formed what became the oldest Chinatown in Canada. Just as the gold rush was pivotal to the creation of B.C. as a province, the Chinese who came to Victoria at that time, and their descendants, have played a defining role in our history.

Many other Asian immigrants followed the Chinese, including those from South Asia, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and the Philippines. Despite frequently having to contend with racism, they have established strong and thriving communities in Victoria.

We are grateful for and enriched by their contributions. We look forward to celebrating this month with them.

[Business of Supply, May 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, today, we are talking about the price of gas and the member answered a question by speaking about energy efficiency programs. That could be an excellent answer if they were true energy programs. However, they are not. What the Conservative government gave Canadians were symbolic measures. For example, we hear about intensity targets for the exploitation of tar sands, we hear about increased ethanol use, we hear about an agricultural subsidy. The Conservative government has started talking with the Americans about doubling our oil exports to the United States.

When will the Conservative government introduce a real energy policy to clean energy and make it affordable for all Canadians?

[Business of Supply, May 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comments this morning.

It is clear that the taxpayers have to be protected against sudden prices increases, especially given the financial results of oil companies for the first quarter of this year: Imperial Oil, $774 million, and EnCana, $497 million. Taxpayers do need protection, because the big oil companies are making incredibly big profits.

At the same time, it is clear to us, in this House, that the consumption of petroleum products in this country has to be curbed.

What strategy could my colleague suggest to the government to protect in the long term the Canadian people, and the environment also? For the time being, it is clear that the Conservative government is prepared to do neither; it does not want to protect the taxpayers, and it is not prepared to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in absolute terms.

[Petitions, May 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by hundreds of my constituents. The petitioners urge the Canadian government and Parliament to help stop atrocities against Falun Gong practitioners in China. They ask that the Canadian government make a public statement and pass a motion in the House to condemn the communist regime for committing these crimes against humanity, urge again that the Chinese regime end the persecution of Falun Gong and release all Falun Gong practitioners immediately.

They also ask that the government take active measures to help stop the killing and organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners and discourage Canadians from travelling to China for organ transplants.

[Post-Secondary Education, April 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the government is going to finalize it some time this year. The groups will be interested.

I would like to mention another subject of delay. It is the end of exam month and thousands of students are graduating with crippling levels of debt.

Unfair sky-high interest rates force students to pay more than 33% on top of their loans and the repayment regime is very rigid. The last time the government consulted on post-secondary it waited until mid-August and forgot students in the process.

The minister promised to review the loan system, but students need fixes now. When will they get them?

[Community Access Program, April 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, community access to the Internet helps low income Canadians develop essential skills and participate in the economy.

Last year the community access program was cut by almost 25%, and now 4,000 community groups have been left hanging for four weeks with no information about funding renewal.

Why is the Conservative government stalling to fund a program that assists ordinary Canadians in developing job skills? Will the minister publicly today confirm the status and budget for this important job skills program?

[Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, April 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, a Health Canada report estimates the incidence of FASD to be approximately one in 100 births. In May 2004 an American research paper estimated the lifetime financial cost of caring for and supporting a person with FASD to be $2.9 million U.S..

On financial grounds alone, Canadian taxpayers cannot afford to ignore this highly prevalent and invisible health and social issue that is having a profound effect on our communities and nation.

My NDP colleagues and I call upon the government to allocate the necessary resources to implement a national strategic FASD plan, including labelling. This plan must address the substantial lifetime needs of people with FASD together with their families and caregivers.