Mark Eyking

[Infrastructure, January 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Northside Civic Centre Society in my riding is waiting for action on an application it sent in for the construction of a new rink. The application has been sitting on a minister's desk since last spring. The community has raised its share of the money and has the site ready for construction.

Why do the people of Northside have to suffer so the federal Nova Scotia minister can cook the books?

[Economic and Fiscal Statement, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, before he was whip, I could talk to him on the way home, but it is a different situation right now.

In all seriousness, when we look at the Sydney harbour, one of the best harbours in the country, one of the busiest harbours in World War II, it has great potential. We had a consortium come in from Europe to work with the local stakeholders to put a container terminal there. It was not looking for a lot of money from government. A lot of the local people were putting up money. All it needed was the harbour to be dredged. All it needed was between $10 million to $12 million. The rest of the money was going to come in for port facilities, for the ships that were hauling coal, for the cruise ships and for the container boats.

Talk about getting a bang for our buck, with that kind of money in an area like this, but it did not get rolled out. It is still sitting on the table. I do not know what they are waiting, but they will want to get their act together.

[Economic and Fiscal Statement, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe my hon. colleague opposite could ask me such a good question.

If we look at when we took over from the Mulroney government, unemployment was at 12.5%. The Conservatives were in the hole. We turned it around. We started balancing the books. We started creating surpluses, 10 straight years in a row. That is our record. We know what the record was before and we know what the record is now. Numbers out there now show they have been in a deficit over the last quarter. We have the record.

Let us look at what is happening globally. I mentioned the G20 countries. I think we are up to 18 countries now that have stimulus packages. I think there are two left, the U.S., which is going to come out very shortly and even Germany, when we read the Economist today, is talking about coming out with a stimulus package. What part of it do those guys not get?

Conservative members have gone to the meetings in Peru. They have gone to all these meetings of the G20. They must be hearing about all these other countries. What happens when they come back across the water? Do they forget what we should be doing here? Do they think we are insulated from the rest of the world and do not have to invest in our economy?

Look at what Roosevelt did. In times like this, we have to put money back into the economy. We are in a slide here. Those guys have their blinkers on and they do not believe we are in a slide. It is sliding fast and we have to put money back into the economy. We have to help. That is what a government is there for, to help people when times are tough.

[Economic and Fiscal Statement, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we are coming forward with a package. As I said before, it is not only to bail out these companies. It will have to be a package that will make the industry viable. It will have to be efficient. It will have to produce the right vehicles. It is all about that.

It is a shame that the government across the way has not talked with these industries over the last few months. This did not happen yesterday. The automotive industry was on slide for the last year, but other countries have stepped up to the plate.

The U.S. is in a precarious situation because it is changing its administration, but there is no excuse why we did not have a plan coming forward. The money is there. Our country has one of the best financial situations in the world because of the measures of Paul Martin and the member for Wascana. They set the pace for our country to be in good financial shape right now.

Why are we not helping these industries? Like my hon. colleague says, we have to use the money wisely. We have to use it in industries that will be suited for this century and that will retool.

[Economic and Fiscal Statement, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about infrastructure. In Nova Scotia, the famous Atlantic gateway was announced, but no money has been rolled out yet.

The hon. member talked about looking in our back door. For instance, a recreation facility has been on hold since the Conservatives were elected, or for the last two and a half years. Why did they not sign it off? What are they waiting for? There has been no action.

The Conservatives did not just get elected yesterday. They know what the needs are out there. They know the harbour in Sydney needs to be dredged, but nothing has happened.

The United States is moving forward. Yes, the Senate is talking about working this out, its $25 billion package. All of a sudden, the Conservatives woke up after what happened last Thursday. That is when they sent the letter to the three automotive industry companies. It is a little too late.

We are now into winter. How hard will it be to do infrastructure projects in the middle of winter? These should have been announced last spring, and we would have had half of them completed by now.

[Economic and Fiscal Statement, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in this discussion. It is important that I demonstrate the significance of the economic situation worldwide, and the automotive sector in particular and its impact, not only on the Canadian economy but on Cape Breton Island.

As we have seen in the throne speech, the Conservative government has not acted.

A recent article in the Globe and Mail demonstrated how all the other G20 countries are providing stimulus packages for their economies through infrastructure and also positioning their industries for this changing economy. Some of the other countries around the world putting packages together are Britain, Italy, the Scandinavian countries, China, Australia and the U.S..

Last week's Economist magazine stated:

On November 17th Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, laid out plans for a $100 billion fiscal stimulus, which included a $25 billion car-industry bail-out, $38 billion for cash-strapped state governments, an estimated $6.5 billion to boost unemployment benefits and $13.5 billion to fund infrastructure improvements.

In that same article, President-elect Barack Obama proposed a tax credit for businesses that hire new workers and a relaxation of penalties for withdrawing money from retirement accounts. Mr. Obama's stimulus package adds up to over $175 billion over two years, and that is just right now.

Some are even looking at bigger options. Many of the investments will go into the green economy, such as projects to improve energy efficiency.

The Canadian economy is about one-tenth the size of the U.S. economy but our treasury is in a much better financial situation. As stated, the U.S. could spend $175 billion up to $200 billion in its stimulus package. Why could the Canadian government not come forward with its own stimulus package to boost our economy and help the industries that are having problems?

We have heard talk about our coalition. Our coalition has a plan. We are talking about providing up to $30 billion for projects to help the economy. If we do not do this and other countries are, where will our industries go? What will happen to the people who are unemployed?

One can just think of all the infrastructure projects that could be done across this whole country, from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador. Much of our infrastructure is in disrepair and so much of it is needed for the new economy.

When I look at my own riding of Sydney--Victoria, I see the need for investments in sewage and water systems and harbour and wharf improvements. The marine Atlantic ferry system alone could use a tremendous amount of money for infrastructure. We also need highway improvements.

As many of my colleagues in the House and many international travellers know, the Cabot Trail is one of the most scenic drives in the world but it is in desperate need of repair. A new infrastructure package could help projects like that and could help spur the economy in those outer regions.

The most important missing component from the Conservative's economic update is the lack of money to help the auto industry. Every day, plants are closing and people are getting laid off. Business articles in all the newspapers state how far it could go without a package being announced. We are not talking about a package to help inefficient industries or industries that are not thinking of the new economy, to help with fuel efficiencies. We are talking about industries that will step up to the plate, but these industries need help.

As I stated, other countries are stepping up to the plate and investing in their automotive industries but this country is not and that is because of the inaction of the Conservative government.

The broad-based implications of this industry's failing is enormous. Even the so-called big three have a network of dealerships throughout the country that rely on their products. They have sales staff and administrative staff. They have mechanics. As well, auto dealerships do a significant amount of spending locally whether it is through advertising or helping with charitable events. In short, there is a barely a riding in this country that is not affected by the auto industry.

We are talking about manufacturing. That is key and that has to be fixed. It is not just the auto makers. It is the people who make the parts for these automobiles. As has been stated many times, many of the parts that are made in Canada go to the United States and other countries. If we are not producing those products, somebody else will produce them.

I want to talk specifically about the jobs in my riding of Sydney—Victoria. Many of the jobs rely on the auto sector. I have mentioned this previously in the House. I asked the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Industry about it. My colleague from Parkdale—High Park asked a question in the House on Friday to try to get some action from the government. He did not get any answers. He did not get any action. That is not surprising.

My hon. colleague from Cape Breton—Canso will remember that 15 years ago Frank Stronach visited Cape Breton. He was asked if Magna could succeed at opening a plant in Cape Breton on the other side of the country far away from Ontario. He said that if the infrastructure and workforce were there, he could succeed anywhere.

He invested in Cape Breton. He built one plant and after a few years he saw how good the workforce was. He saw the quality of the products. He saw the transportation links working. What did he do? He built a second plant. He built two plants in Cape Breton. After those two plants were built, a third plant was built by another company, Cape Breton Castings. That company built parts to supply the other two automotive parts plants.

When we look at the full capacity of these three plants, it is up to 400 workers in an area like Cape Breton. That is a major impact. It might not sound like a big impact in the Ohio region or central Canada but it is a big deal in Cape Breton. Magna PFC and Atlantic Castings employ several people in the Northside industrial park.

It is a tremendous impact on an area like Cape Breton. These are solid jobs requiring technical skills. They are the kind of jobs which before the downturn were in considerable demand.

Not only are these hundreds of direct jobs at stake, but there are hundreds more in services that will be placed in jeopardy. This morning I was listening to an item on CBC. A Canadian auto workers president, I think from Windsor, was talking about the auto sector in Canada. It is directly or indirectly responsible for one out of seven jobs in Canada. There is the multiplying factor. How much of a spinoff is there from one job in the automotive industry? He was using the number eight. For every person who is hired in one of these plants, there are eight others who are feeding from it. They could be truck drivers or people who are painting the building.

People living in a community that has an automotive plant see it around them. That is why in Cape Breton right now there is a major concern. There have been some layoffs and there might be more to come because there is no package in place.

These jobs have a tremendous impact on a region. It is phenomenal. When there are other countries helping their industries and we are not helping ours, where do we think they are going to go? These are international industries.

I would like to talk about Cape Breton. Over the last number of years we have seen positive developments in Cape Breton. It still has a fairly high unemployment rate when we look at the whole country. Right now we are at 12%. Before my hon. colleague from Cape Breton—Canso and I were elected, the unemployment rate was up to 20%.

Our industries were different ones. We had the coal industry. There is a large coal bed off Cape Breton. This created a steel industry. During World War II Cape Breton produced over 40% of the whole country's coal and steel. That is how much of an impact there was in Cape Breton, with just those two industries. We also had the groundfish industry. With the collapse of the cod fishery, it also took a major hit. In a matter of a few years, around the year 2000, those three industries collapsed in Cape Breton. That is why it drove the unemployment rate up to 20%.

Many good things have happened in Cape Breton. Our tourist industry has been increasing, with the famous Celtic Colours. There are a lot of people who went through a transition and are working out west right now and bringing money back home.

The automotive sector was very important, not only for the spinoffs but for the emotional and psychological impact on our region to see plants opening, to see men and women going back to work, to see that spinoff and the awards these plants got compared to other plants, for their productivity and their excellence.

We got through it. These new industries came. We are willing to expand on these industries. Many stakeholders in the community stepped up to the plate, invested and got training to help with this industry. We need more help like that.

Part of the change we are going through in this industry will require innovation. That includes innovation coming from the parts industry, no matter where the companies are located in the country. There has to be innovation for the new vehicles.

We have a skilled workforce and we have the technical expertise. What we need is a government that will spur innovation and allow Atlantic Castings and Magna of Cape Breton to participate in the economic recovery and allow plants right across the country to operate.

We do not have that in place. Like I said before, where are they going to go? We need a package that will help rationalize existing operations instead of slashing production. When we think of the finances across the whole supply chain in the automotive sector, when big companies like GM, Chrysler and Ford get into a cash-strapped situation, the people who get hurt the most, the plants that get hurt the most are the ones that are supplying those operations. Those are the ones who are going to get hurt the most. We have to help those operations.

I had a meeting this weekend with the councillors and mayor of my region. They do not think there should be a buyout, that we should give money to these companies just to get them through the financial crisis. They believe that we have to make money available that will help them be better positioned for the new economy.

Part of that change will require innovation. It includes innovation for the parts industry also. We have the skills right across the country. We need a package that will help rationalize these operations.

The government has to act. Every day is a day we are losing. Every day represents another plant that is gone. Every day there are people losing their jobs. When this equipment leaves a community, when it leaves that plant, it is not coming back. The clock is ticking. Workers are getting laid off. It does not have to be this way.

I stated that on this side we are willing to put a stimulus package in place to help these industries. Just think about the infrastructure alone. Even the right-wing governments of the world are putting money there. It is hard to believe. China is putting a lot of money into infrastructure, as is the U.S. What is going on elsewhere is phenomenal, but no, the government sits there and says, “Let the market help the workers who are unemployed. Let the market help the automotive plants”. Is the market going to help with the infrastructure? I doubt it.

There was no package announced by the Conservative government in its economic update last week. Like I said, the companies in the automotive sector are internationally based. They will be looking seriously at other countries that will help them through these very troubling and challenging times.

This is a spell we are going through. We went through it before. It is a spell in the industry. Yes, people worldwide will buy fewer cars in the upcoming months. They might fix up their old ones for a while, but eventually it is going to come around.

When we look at the predictions from the economists and specialists who know how the industry works, they see technically an increase in the buying of automobiles in the upcoming years. It is going to happen. Vehicles are going to be bought. Vehicles are going to be traded in. The emerging economies alone, China, India and Indonesia, are all buying more vehicles. Yes, they will have a downturn in their economies, but they are going to buy more vehicles.

Who is going to produce those vehicles? Who is going to sell those vehicles? Who is going to manufacture the parts for those vehicles? We can do that right here in Canada. We have proven it over the last 20 years and we can do it again, but we need help right now. We need to help these plants retool. We need to help the workers. We need to make sure that EI is available when they are going through down times. We should be educating the workers on the new technologies. We are ready.

We have a good business environment in this country. Our corporate tax rates are down. We have a great health system. When we look at the cost of producing a vehicle here in Canada compared to other countries, we have one of the best packages available because of our health system.

The sad reality is that if we wait a month, six weeks, two months for any substantial package, think of how many jobs we could be losing. There is a domino effect. There are plants in Scarborough, Oshawa, Windsor, Guelph, Oakville. There are plants all over and they need parts, but when these plants close, they do not buy parts. The parts stop coming in.

They need us in Cape Breton to produce parts for them and we need them to stay open. It has to be a package that is going to help the whole supply chain. It has to be a package that is going to help this industry be ready for this century. Imagine the fuel efficient cars and lighter vehicles that we could be building. There is no doubt that we could be a world leader, but again the government has not acted.

I stand here proud to be the member for Sydney—Victoria. I am very appreciative that Frank Stronach came to Cape Breton that day, opened that plant and took a chance on us in Cape Breton and we hope that plant will stay. We know the three major auto manufacturers need help. There are other plants, not only the big three, making cars in Canada and we should be helping them also. We should have a good, lean manufacturing industry that is suitable for this century.

In closing, I would like to thank my hon. colleagues for listening today to the hardships we have had in Cape Breton and how we have moved over the last few years and where we are going.

[John Graham MacInnes, November 26th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this month Cape Breton and Canada lost a pillar of our community when John Graham MacInnes was taken away from us all too soon.

A retired school teacher from River Bennet, Victoria County, John Graham served as municipal councillor for 23 years. John Graham loved politics. He was a strong Liberal supporter and he was probably the biggest Montreal Canadien fan in Victoria County.

John Graham was involved in every aspect of his community, including his hard work for St. Ann's Bay United Church. He loved animals and was an avid gardener, an amateur actor and a dedicated volunteer.

John Graham MacInnes had a great Gaelic sense of humour and he was always there to help.

We will miss John, as will his wife Joan and his sons Chris and Ken. If ever there was a great example of how to live this all too brief life, John Graham MacInnes, a teacher, provided us with this one: live life to its fullest, and help others as we go through it.

[Automotive Industry, November 21st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing the government has shown it is that it cannot be trusted to stand up for our workers.

The government ignored the auto sector for over two years, that is until there was an election coming. As we can see today, its plan was too little and too late.

When will the government come up with a real auto strategy?

[Automotive Industry, November 21st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the crisis in the auto industry affects the entire country, including Cape Breton.

While other countries are investing in their auto sector, the Conservatives are not. They do not have a plan.

There have been recent layoffs of auto workers in my riding and more may come. It should not be this way and it does not need to be.

When will the Conservatives step up with a plan to help the auto sector and keep our jobs in Cape Breton?

[Tourism, June 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, The Economist states that the tourism industry worldwide has increased 6% and yet Statistics Canada states that the number of travellers to Canada has fallen to a record low, a 12.5% drop over last year.

Many tourist operators are facing a crisis and feel they are on their own with no help from the government. Many recommendations were brought forward to the House but no action has been taken.

Why is the government not showing any leadership in helping this vital industry?