Peter Goldring

[The Economy, September 26th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, with the global economy still fragile and too many Canadians still out of work, our government's top priority remains completing the economic recovery.

Our low tax plan to create jobs and economic growth is working, yet the NDP continues to promote its job-killing policies. The NDP wants to shut down Canadian industries and put people out of work.

Canada's oil sands are a proven strategic resource that creates jobs and economic opportunity in all provinces and regions in the country. The Keystone pipeline project will contribute to job creation and energy security in both Canada and the United States.

Our government will continue to promote Canada and the oil sands as a stable, secure and ethical source of energy for the world. The NDP is all too willing to abandon Canada's interests and sacrifice Canadian jobs. These job-killing policies are yet another worrying example that the NDP is not—

[William George Lesick, September 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, we pause today in tribute to a former member of the House of Commons who recently passed away. Born in Alberta of immigrant Ukrainian parents, this man contributed to his province and to his country with great distinction in a way that can be best described as truly honourable.

He served Canada in World War II in Europe, helping liberate Holland with the 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards. He owned and managed the Beverly Pharmacy. He was elected and served as member of Parliament for Edmonton East and then served as citizenship judge. As a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Norwood Branch, he chaired the Remembrance Day parade at the Beverly cenotaph for many years.

William George Lesick was a war veteran, a member of Parliament, pharmacist, judge, recipient of the Queen's Jubilee Medal and friend. Bill Lesick, respected for his service to his country in war and peace, will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends.

We will not forget.

[William Teleske, June 23rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, William Teleske fought with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment in the Italian campaign. In late 1943 he was in the Battle of Ortona, called the Stalingrad of Italy for its ferocity. Christmas was a short reprieve from the front lines to a bombed out church for dinner.

In Christmas 1998, Bill returned to Ortona with 30 veterans of his regiment and of the Three Rivers Regiment, Royal 22nd Regiment, Provost Corps and the Seaforth Highlanders. They visited their 1,400 fallen comrades resting at the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery and wondered: “So why not me?”

Then they shared Christmas dinner in the rebuilt church, this time with their foes of old, a wonderful expression of the hopefulness for world peace in the season of Christ meant for such reflection.

Bill passed away on Sunday, June 19.

Bill Teleske was respected for his service to his country and will be missed by his family and his many friends. We will not forget.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, June 15th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian Parliamentary Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe respecting its participation at the election observation mission of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held in Azerbaijan, November 5-8, 2010.

[Korean War, June 13th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the war in Korea, the forgotten war, a war still on hold, still not resolved, the war that was never declared, but make no mistake, it was a war. Some 30,000 Canadians served under severe conditions. They gave a small, beleaguered nation the opportunity to be free. The price of this freedom was 516 who never came home, who never grew old.

The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry received an American presidential citation for its heroic accomplishments, against unbelievable odds, protecting the capital city of Seoul against possible capture in the battle of Kapyong.

Patrick O'Connor of the Royal Canadian Regiment was killed one day after penning these poignant words:

There is blood on the hills of Korea
It's the gift of freedom they love
May their names live in glory forever
And their souls in Heaven above

We must not forget.

[New Democratic Party of Canada, March 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in partisan pre-election ads, the Ottawa NDP is talking about taxes. Let us take a look at the NDP's real record on taxes.

NDP members have opposed tax cuts. NDP members are offside on gas prices. They think that gas prices have been artificially lowered and need to be raised. NDP members are against providing tax relief to hard-pressed Canadian families and businesses.

NDP members voted against reducing the GST from 7% to 6% in budget 2006 and were against cutting the GST from 6% to 5%. The NDP leader has even described tax relief as reckless. NDP members support high taxes. They fought each cut of the GST and voted time and time again against reducing income taxes and the small business tax.

NDP members have done this many times before. If they get their way, they will do it again and Canada will pay.

[Older Workers, February 11th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I wish to thank the hon. members on both sides of the House, the hon. parliamentary secretary from Souris—Moose Mountain for his generous support, and recognizing this very important issue.

For the record, I will repeat the motion. It states:

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should continue to recognize the vital role of older workers in the Canadian economy and ensure its labour market programs and policies encourage older workers to contribute their skills and experience in the Canadian workforce.

An important aspect of this is the recognition that people of my age have been in the workplace since the early 1960s and have contributed to the prosperity of this country, leading it to be the economically-envied country of the world of today. Many of us are quite capable of continuing to work for some years ahead.

As has already been stated, many Canadians are choosing to stay in the workforce past what used to be considered the traditional retirement age. The reasons for this decision are as varied as each worker involved, but the one they have in common is the need for support from the Government of Canada.

Of note, some 110 years ago, just a little over a century ago, Canadian men had a life expectancy of 47. Today, that life expectancy is in the region of 78 years, considerably higher than it used to be a short 100 years ago. With that in mind, our government has already shown its commitment to older workers in Canada through programs such as the targeted initiative for older workers and the labour market development agreements we have signed with the provinces to provide assistance to older workers.

Canadians know that with our government's strong leadership, Canada has weathered the recession better than any other G8 country. However, the economic recovery is not yet complete. We need to encourage all Canadian workers who are contributing to the economy.

Older workers have, as the motion states, skills and experience that are essential to allow Canada to compete effectively in the global economy. They are also frequently, with the majority of their family responsibility commitments behind them, more flexible than younger workers in their scheduling hours and availability for overtime, if necessary. It makes sense that governments would offer support to these older workers to allow them to continue to contribute to the economy and the well-being of their families as long as they wish to do so.

It has been noted that honouring seniors is a tradition that is fading from some parts of our society. That is certainly one of the reasons that elder abuse has risen in recent years, particularly elder financial abuse. Our government is aware of that increase in elder abuse and working to combat it through a combination of education and criminal enforcement.

As someone who would be considered to be an older worker, I suppose in a way I speak for all older persons who can contribute and want to continue to contribute to society, to their family's financial well-being, and who want to be reminded that there is still true value for this contribution.

I urge all members to support this motion. Older workers are an important part of our economy and the House should stand with them, reaffirming their value, and offering support where necessary.

[Situation in Haiti, December 13th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, yes, I was in Haiti with my colleague and we were there for the elections at that time when there was optimism even on the elections. They were being reasonably well run and it was the parliamentary elections. We also had a chance to go out into the community in the Jacmel area where we could really see the enthusiasm of the local mayor and the citizenry about the improvements that had been made to Jacmel at that time.

I have to believe that the optimism of the Haitian people is deep and resilient and we all have to believe that their optimism will still be there and that they will look forward to rebuilding their country once again, the same as Jacmel. It has to be rebuilt all over again.

[Situation in Haiti, December 13th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I absolutely agree with my hon. colleague. The need in Haiti was desperate long before the earthquake struck. As I related, I was there in 2006 and I could see the difficulties and problems it had on sanitation and on water provisions. This has been an ongoing circumstance in Haiti for many years and the earthquake certainly did not help it whatsoever.

My understanding is that one of the problems in bringing back infrastructure, water facilities and sanitation facilities is the land tenure in Port-au-Prince where the land is tied up and people cannot get ownership and cannot move in equipment to start the reconstruction of the infrastructure that is needed. That is something that will need to be worked out because, obviously, to rebuild Haiti and Port-au-Prince with all its great needs, we need to start in the ground with the proper sanitation facilities and the proper water for the people.

[Situation in Haiti, December 13th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs for the Americas.

First, I would like to commend CIDA, the Foreign Affairs and National Defence departments and ministries for an extraordinary effort in a time of absolute disaster. Understandably, those on the ground immediately following the disaster had to deal with missing loved ones, friends and colleagues and their supreme efforts must not go unnoticed or be forgotten.

Canada has a long-term commitment to Haiti and there is no other country that has been a better friend to the people of Haiti than Canada. Our strong, long-term relationship with Haiti strengthens our ties to the Organization of American States, the Caribbean community, the common market and key countries in the Americas, such as Brazil and Chile. Canadians care about Haiti. This is our hemisphere and we have family and personal ties there. It is also the poorest country in the hemisphere.

I had an opportunity to visit Haiti in 2006, well before the latest disasters struck. It was at the time, even then, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. At the time, elections were being conducted and were reasonably well managed, although the turnout was relatively low. Of note, even at that time the Haitian people had many desperate needs, with massive unemployment and civil unrest. The Haitian government was unable to cope with its country's human needs, coupled with large foreign debt, without massive amounts of foreign aid.

The countryside was denuded of foliage, creating widespread flooding in seasonal rains, bringing the remaining soil and silt and filling up the only substantial power damn, preventing the generation of electricity. Then the earthquake hit and now a cholera outbreak.

Haiti is vulnerable to natural disasters, as last January's earthquake and hurricane Thomas this fall attest. In addition, the current cholera outbreak has already resulted in the death of more than 2,000 Haitians and has reached the Dominican Republic and Florida as well. It is important to remember that rebuilding Haiti is a significant undertaking that will require a sustained international effort measurable in years, not in weeks and months.

While great needs remain, Canadian initiatives are making a difference in the lives of Haitians. Despite the extraordinary challenges Haiti has faced in the past year, our commitment to Haiti is long term. I am proud to say that Canadians themselves have demonstrated unprecedented support for Haiti in response to the earthquake that took place nearly a year ago. In fact, they donated $220 million to charitable organizations and the Government of Canada is matching their donations. Almost 60% of the matched funding has been allocated to initiatives in Haiti.

The international response has ensured that immediate lifesaving needs following the earthquake are being addressed. Canada is the second most important bilateral donor in Haiti after the United States. We have a long-term credible presence in Haiti that allows us to respond quickly and effectively when disaster occurs. For example, our health partners were instrumental in the early detection of the current cholera outbreak.

Canada's leadership, expertise and development assistance are valued by Haiti and the United States, as well as other key partners in this hemisphere. In fact, our credibility with Haiti lends us influence in new mechanisms set up for the coordination of humanitarian and reconstruction efforts such as the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission and the multi-donor Haiti reconstruction fund.

With a commitment of $1 billion over six years between 2006 and 2012, Haiti is Canada's leading development recipient in the Americas. Our long-term presence in Haiti means that throughout the country we have trusted partners to work with and mobilize in the event of a disaster. The situation in Haiti is too large and multi-faceted for Canada to make a difference alone, so we are working to ensure that our efforts and those of other partners are mutually reinforcing.

Canada is working with a number of international and Canadian partners, including the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community and Common Market and key donor countries in the Americas and Europe, such as the United States, the European Union and Brazil.

Canada's engagement in Haiti has demonstrated a whole of government approach. Our efforts have drawn on the skills of a number of departments, including the Canadian International Development Agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Finance Canada, the Canadian Border Services Agency, the RCMP and the Department of National Defence to achieve results for the people of Haiti.

On our response to the devastating effects of the earthquake nearly a year ago, Canada has now fully disbursed more than $150 million in immediate humanitarian assistance, contributing to the distribution of food aid for 4.3 million people and emergency housing and supplies to 2.2 million people.

Through our $400 million commitment, Canada is supplying daily meals to 400,000 school children, has provided $31.3 million to the multi-donor Haiti reconstruction fund and has earmarked $30 million for a call for proposals from Canadian organizations for short-term recovery and reconstruction projects in Haiti.

Some Haitian municipalities will receive technical assistance from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to improve their delivery of basic services, such as land management, roads, water provisions and garbage collection.

Here are some of the results that we and our partners have achieved since the earthquake struck on January 12: one million Haitians have been engaged in cash for work programs; over four million Haitians have received emergency food aid; we have provided medical care for 90% of displaced persons in Port-au-Prince; we have constructed temporary offices for the ministries of health and agriculture and for the secretariat of the interim Haiti recovery commission; and we have constructed a prison for 750 inmates and have deployed 25 Canadian prison experts.

We are now on track to meet the commitment we made at the International Donors' Conference in New York in March. However, there have been some challenges. As 30% of the public service died in the earthquake and 40% of the Haitian government's infrastructure was damaged, this has hampered the government's ability to respond to the basic needs of the population.

When assessing progress in Haiti, we need to remember the magnitude of the devastation and remember how long it took to rebuild in other similar situations. We all remember the tsunami in Asia. Following that disaster in 2004, right around Christmas time I might add, it took over five years to rebuild 139,000 houses in Indonesia. In fact, we need look no further than our closest neighbour when we want an example of how long reconstruction can take. As we all know, the United States of America, with all of the resources possible at its disposal, is still working to reconstruct New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina.

Governance challenges in Haiti have been compounded by the current land tenure system and the lack of safe landfill sites to remove rubble from Port-au-Prince. Part of the reason that more than one million people still live in camps is that hey have no other place to go. Canada supports efforts to address these issues and continues to encourage the government of Haiti to undertake the needed reforms to clear the way for rebuilding.

Canada has been clear on our commitment to Haiti and it is long term. While great needs remain, Canadian initiatives are making a difference in the lives of Haitians.