Guy Lauzon

[April 8th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, after failing to get the job done for the last 13 long years, it is surprising to hear a member from the Liberal Party speak out on this issue. Liberals should be embarrassed. As on so many other issues, the Liberals failed to deliver for Canadian farmers for 13 long years. They just did not get it done.

I am pleased that the Minister of Agriculture has announced this new task force, which will work to find existing programs and help affected communities access that assistance. I am also pleased to see that the task force has been embraced by municipal leaders such as the mayor of Norfolk, Dennis Travale.

The minister remains committed to work within existing programs to find a workable way forward. After 13 long years of inaction on this issue, affected communities can be assured that we are working with them to find a path forward.

[April 8th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for bringing up this extremely serious issue today. As the member knows, this issue has been around for quite some time. As a matter of fact, it goes back to the days when his party was in power. The member knows that his party failed tobacco farmers throughout 13 long years.

Last week, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food met with MPs from southwestern Ontario and the Ontario minister of agriculture, as well as tobacco growers and manufacturers, to discuss the issues facing the tobacco industry. The Minister of Agriculture remains committed to working with all stakeholders to find a workable way forward.

We will continue to work closely with tobacco growers to find ways to make existing programs work for their industry. When the pork and beef industry was going through its recent hard times, we sat down with industry representatives and worked out a solution that worked for everyone.

That is what I like about the minister. When he is confronted with a problem in a different sector of agriculture, he meets with the representatives and they work out a solution collectively. I would encourage the tobacco marketing board to work with us and the minister and to do the same.

The issues facing tobacco growers are not new. The member opposite knows that well, as he was part of a government that did not get the job done during 13 long years.

Let me give an example of how this government and this minister are taking steps to help find a workable way forward.

At a meeting with local members of Parliament and mayors, the Minister of Agriculture initiated an important dialogue to look at assistance for communities that are now dealing with the tobacco issue. The member for Elgin—Middlesex—London has agreed to chair a task force of municipal leaders to identify existing programs that can provide support and to help these communities access that assistance.

By the way, I really want to thank the member for Elgin—Middlesex—London for agreeing to take on that responsibility. He too has worked tirelessly on this issue for the producers in his riding. This new task force represents real action and progress for the areas affected by this longstanding issue.

You do not have to believe me, Mr. Speaker. Let us hear from one of the local municipal leaders who will play an important role in this task force. The mayor of Norfolk, Dennis Travale, said the federal government has “come to the table and assist[ed] us with a strategic plan to help our economic revival”. The mayor of Norfolk is happy with our discussions and they will continue.

After 13 years of broken promises from the party opposite, we will continue to work to find a way forward with the industry and affected communities.

[Government Response to Petitions, April 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to three petitions.

[Tobacco Industry, April 3rd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, our minister is doing a lot. Our minister had some very frank conversations with the tobacco industry. This week, as a matter of fact, he met with the Ontario agriculture minister, Ms. Leona Dombrowsky. He has also met with the manufacturers and growers, he has had discussions, and they are willing to continue.

What we are trying to say is that he made a commitment that he is willing to continue to work with those members. He has also put in the member for Elgin—Middlesex—London as chair of a task force of local municipal leaders to find existing programs to help access that assistance.

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House have done a great deal for Quebec. We respect our Quebec colleagues. We respect our Quebec friends.

I would first of all like to thank the hon. member, but I also want to say that this Prime Minister, for the first time ever, recognized “les Québécois comme une nation”.

I was so proud when that happened because my ancestors come from Quebec. That allowed them to be proud of their heritage as I am proud of my heritage.

We have established fiscal balance between Quebec and Ottawa. We have all the provinces on the same fiscal footing. We have tried to do everything possible to welcome this wonderful province of Quebec into the wonderful unity of Canada.

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc really is a sad sight. It is a pity because they are trying to create problems where there are none. I have just said that 95% of Quebeckers are able to work in their mother tongue. I do not know why the Bloc keeps making much ado about nothing. They are trying to cause problems. At the moment, it is clear that the Bloc is not needed here in this House. They do nothing. They have no power and can do nothing for the people of Quebec. The Conservative government can do things for the people of Quebec. They told us that they wanted an open federalism based on respect and cooperation. That is precisely what we have been providing for more than two years.

The Prime Minister has recognized that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada. The Bloc just wants to tear that country apart. Our government will never let that happen to this wonderful country.

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I will share my time with the hon. Secretary of State for Agriculture, the member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

The Canada Labour Code exists to protect the heath and safety of workers. The Code was never designed or intended to be used as political leverage. A number of businesses under federal jurisdiction now have international plans that require their workers to be bilingual, and francophones can usually work in their first language.

Bloc Québécois members are disconnected from Quebec voters, and can no longer explain why they are always in Ottawa. So they desperately try to find solutions to problems that do not exist.

The Bloc does not understand how things work in Ottawa. This bill would just isolate Quebeckers even more. The Bloc is making a big deal about this bill, but the reality is that it will do nothing to improve conditions for Quebec workers.

The Bloc Québécois does not understand that our government promotes French across the country. Our government supports both official languages. We do what is necessary in the interests of minority language communities, and we ensure the vitality of French and English throughout Canada.

In the throne speech, we committed to developing a strategy for the next phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages. Then, in the 2008 budget, we confirmed that commitment.

On March 20, the International Day of La Francophonie, we released Bernard Lord's report on official languages and linguistic duality. This report, like the work of the Standing Committee on Official Languages and of the Commissioner of Official Languages, will help us move forward with the new phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages will table this in the spring.

Since 2006, we have concluded minority language and linguistic duality education agreements with the provinces and territories worth close to $1 billion over four years and, in budget 2007, we increased funding to official language minority communities in the promotion of linguistic duality by a total of $30 million over the next two years. In 2007, our government also announced an investment of $4.5 million to improve access to health care by official language minority communities across Canada.

Our government also recognizes the Québécois as forming a nation within a united Canada. First, our government does recognize the importance of arts and culture in Quebec. Here are some examples: our government announced $40 million for the Quartier des spectacles de Montréal; we also announced $120,000 for the festival to promote the Montreal All-Nighter and Celebration of Light; we announced $2 million in funding for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and the Just For Laughs Festival; and, we announced $550,000 for the 41st edition of the 2008 Quebec City Summer Festival.

We also understand that French is the common language in Quebec. This is why our government was pleased to hear, following the release of the study by the Office québécois de la langue française that 94.9% of francophones throughout Canada use French almost all of the time or regularly. We also learned that allophone foreign workers use French often, as a matter of fact, 63% of the time. This is great news.

We are also very proud of francophones throughout our country. Our government has been quite busy lately on the announcement of funding for francophone communities. Our government was pleased to announce a total of $102,000 in funding shared by two groups: la Fédération des francophones de Saskatoon and the Association jeunesse fransaskoise.

In March, we announced funding of $1.1 million to help the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française coordinate a cross country tour of Francoforce in close cooperation with la Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada.

On March 28, 2008, our government announced funding of $946,100 to 10 francophone organizations to pursue activities to promote francophone and Acadian communities in New Brunswick and linguistic duality across Canada.

On that same day, our government also announced funding of over $3 million to the organizing committee of the 2009 Congrès mondial acadien. A part of the amount came from the Department of Canadian Heritage and another from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Thanks to this contribution, thousands of Acadians, francophones and francophiles from across Canada and abroad will have an opportunity to celebrate Acadian culture at the Congrès mondial acadien.

Our government is also looking forward to its role as host of the 12th Sommet de la Francophonie from October 17 to 19, 2008, the year of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the foundation of Quebec City, one of the oldest cities of the Americas.

As everyone can see, we do support Quebec as well as the French language throughout all of Canada.

Following everything mentioned in this speech, it is hard to understand why the Bloc Québécois is here today defending French language regarding enterprises under federal jurisdiction located in Quebec, an issue that the Bloc never raised before in 17 years of being in this House. The only explanation is that it seems that the Bloc and its leader have run out of arguments to justify why they are in Ottawa.

To be honest, there is a paradox here. Ever since there has been a new government in Ottawa that has respected the abilities of each province, the Bloc has raised a provincial law to interfere in a federal jurisdiction. That is backward. For example, the last census informed us that 75% of new immigrants to Quebec adopted French and almost 95% of the Quebec population is now able to speak French, which has never been seen before.

This is great news but clearly our government is giving concrete results to Quebeckers, something the Bloc could never do. Quebeckers have told us that they want open federalism based on respect and cooperation and this is exactly what we have been offering them for over two years.

Following recent articles clearly stating that the Bloc Québécois no longer has a reason to be in Ottawa, it is time for that party to re-evaluate its priorities and respect the will of Canadians to support the vitality of both official languages in Canada.

I represent a bilingual riding. The riding of Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry has a very large francophone population. All of my anglophone and francophone constituents get along very well. We are very proud to live in a bilingual environment. In Canada, we are proud to celebrate English and French.

[March 5th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, let us compare records: 13 years of broken promises and 2 years of loud talk and fury compared with $4.5 billion for program payments in 2006; $600 million for agri-invest kickstart; $400 million to cover farmers' increased input costs; $76 million to help farmers combat hog disease; $130 million to help the disposal of SRM; $50 million to rationalize the hog population in Canada; $3.3 billion available in loans.

That is our record and it is one we are very proud of.

[March 5th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, this Conservative government is committed to supporting our beef and pork producers.

As all members of this House are well aware, this Conservative government puts farmers first. That bedrock principle governs everything that the Minister of Agriculture and our department does. I am proud to serve as the parliamentary secretary to a minister who is so committed to putting farmers first.

After 13 years in which the Liberal Party chose not to act, and 18 years in which our friends the Bloc could never act and still can never act, Canadian farmers are thrilled with the strong action being taken by our Conservative government.

As many members of this House well know, Canada's livestock sector has been through some very difficult times in the last few months. That is why this Conservative government has acted to provide relief for this sector.

Let me review what we have delivered for Canadian farmers.

First, the assistance payments for 2006 are under way.

Second, all producers can obtain a form to apply for an interim payment from the AgriStability program for 2007.

Third, targeted advances are being offered to pork producers in Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

Fourth, financial assistance to kick-start the AgriInvest program is now available.

We have also made $3.3 billion available to farmers in the form of loans. Furthermore, just last week the minister provided additional relief to our livestock sector.

In only a few days, the Minister of Agriculture passed legislation through the House and through the Senate. That legislation provided hog producers with a $50 million program to help rationalize the hog population in Canada. It also made changes to the Agricultural Marketing Products Act that made it easier for producers to access the funding that we have made available.

Those changes highlight another key principle of the Conservative government, which is the importance of consultation with farmers.

Unlike previous Liberal governments that think they know best when it comes to designing farm programs, we sat down with farmers and designed programs based on their needs and their concerns.

The recent changes made to AMPA were requested by industry and delivered by this Conservative government.

The $50 million hog program will be delivered by the Canadian Pork Council.

Talk about a strong working relationship with industry.

The member opposite will stand over there and continue his political grandstanding no doubt. Unfortunately for the member opposite, that is all that he can do these days. Some may say that is all he ever did while his party was in government.

Canadian farmers are not fooled by his talk because they see the action that is happening over here. After 13 years of Liberal neglect and 18 years of Bloc irrelevance, Canadian agriculture is back on the map.

Let me tell the House what happens when a government understands agriculture.

In just two short years, we have delivered $4.5 billion for program payments in 2006; $600 million for the AgriInvest Kickstart program; $400 million to cover farmers' increased input costs; $76 million to help farmers combat hog disease; $130 million to help with the disposal of SRM; $50 million to rationalize the hog population in Canada; and $3.3 billion available in loans. What an accomplishment in just two short years.

Canadian farmers appreciate our action on agriculture. Whenever the member opposite decides to show up and vote, then he will find out first-hand.

[Business of the House, February 27th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. With the unanimous consent of the House, I would like to move the following motion. I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, during the debate tonight on the concurrence motion, the Chair shall not receive any quorum calls, dilatory motions, or requests for unanimous consent; at the end of the time remaining for the debate, or when no member rises to speak, the question shall be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested.