Philip Toone

[The Environment, June 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board requested an environmental assessment of the Old Harry deposit. The Minister of the Environment needs to do his job and let the people concerned have their say. The gulf is an important source of revenue for coastal communities.

Is the minister willing to set up a federal review panel to examine the impacts on the entire gulf?

[Listuguj Mi'gmaq, June 20th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, today is the 30th anniversary of Listuguj raids. On June 11, 1981, armed provincial police officers and fisheries officers raided that Mi'gmaq community, arrested residents and seized their boats in order to prevent them from commercially fishing salmon.

It was 30 years ago today, on June 20, 1981, that the provincial government ordered a second raid, but this time, the residents of Listuguj erected barricades to prevent access to their community. In 1993, the Mi'gmaq government drafted the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation Law on Fisheries and Fishing.

We are celebrating this act of self-government. Today, the Restigouche River is known as one of the best-managed salmon rivers in the country. This demonstrates that it is possible for the Canadian and first nations governments to develop and maintain reciprocal, non-violent relationships that are mutually beneficial.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 8th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is making decisions that will compromise the safety of Quebeckers. We have learned that the government will be closing maritime search and rescue centres in Quebec in order to centralize operations in Halifax. And it is all in the name of saving money instead of saving lives.

Does the minister realize that these services that protect the public are more effective when they are provided in the region where they are needed?

[The Budget, June 7th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question and congratulate him also on his election in Medicine Hat.

I thank him as well for his comments from the party that was supported by 40% of the Canadian population, which 60% did not support, so I believe 60% of the Canadian population is actually looking for an alternative to the budget that has been proposed.

When it comes to worrying about increasing taxes, when it comes to worrying about crippling the economy and the GNP in general, frankly, if we were to create more employment, if we were to help small business more, the creation of employment, in and of itself, would bring revenues to our fine government and would help to pay for the services that we are proposing today.

We are not anywhere near the point of thinking that we must go running to the IMF for help with our budget. We have lots of room. We have many innovative ideas. I am very disappointed that the government side was not able to introduce any of those ideas in its budget yesterday.

[The Budget, June 7th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, what has been proposed by the government side regarding supporting seniors, while it is a step forward, is entirely insufficient.

We need to bring seniors out of poverty and a $600 credit per year is simply inadequate and is not at the right level to help our seniors get to the point where they deserve to be.

They have worked their entire lives to create this beautiful country and quite frankly $600 a year I suppose is perhaps enough to pay part of their rent for one month, but we are talking about seniors who, by and large, are scraping by and spending their savings in order to pay for their groceries, transportation and to avoid being a burden to their families.

The $600 credit per year is simply insufficient and we really hope the Conservatives will actually propose something which would be more readily acceptable to Canadian seniors.

[The Budget, June 7th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, this is the first time I have risen in the House. First, I wish to salute all my House of Commons colleagues. I consider it a great responsibility and a great honour to represent the people of my riding of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine. I would like to thank them today for the trust they placed in me and to say to them that I will defend their interests every day of my term in the coming years.

On May 2, the people of the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands sent us a clear message: our region deserves to take its rightful place in the Canadian federation. They are ready to contribute to improving their country. The people in my region want change. They rallied around the NDP vision for developing a progressive Canada, a dynamic and enterprising Canada, as the people of the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands have always been. They also want a Canada where justice and compassion prevail, where families are a priority, and where no one is left behind. I am pleased to be able to contribute, together with the people in my riding, to this wave of change.

With regard to yesterday's budget brought down by my Conservative colleagues in the House, I see that it is more or less the same budget that was brought down in March. Despite the message of non-confidence sent by Quebeckers and current worrisome economic indicators, the government has not changed its line of thinking. This is essentially a minimalist budget that includes very few social measures to help people who are contributing more than their fair share to the Canadian treasury. We see that the government is not acting responsibly toward the people it represents.

Of course we commend its commitment to sales tax harmonization, but we are bitterly disappointed in the lack of support for seniors, people in the middle class and the less fortunate. The average disposable income per capita in the Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine region is $5,000 less than the Quebec average, at just over $20,000 a year. Some 20% of the people in our riding are 65 or older. The measly $600 allocated under the guaranteed income supplement to single seniors will not significantly help seniors living in poverty. The tax credit for family caregivers is also more a symbolic measure than true recognition of the enormous task accomplished by these people, mostly women I should point out.

This budget does not contain any proposals for reducing the financial burden on families. In terms of help from the government, most of my constituents will not see any improvement in their living conditions.

What is more, looming cuts to government agencies are making us fear the worst when it comes to support for small to medium-sized businesses. For a large region like Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, whose economy relies mainly on developing natural resources, yesterday's budget is disastrous and cause for serious concern.

The Conservative government announced budgetary cuts to the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec to the tune of $13.4 million in 2013-14. For Fisheries and Oceans Canada, up to $56.8 million in budgetary cuts are projected for 2013-14. This is totally unacceptable.

In a region where the labour market remains fragile, where salaries are low and natural resources have often been overexploited, resource preservation, enhancement and research programs are essential. Although the region has been working hard to create jobs and the unemployment rate has been steadily decreasing for three years, the unemployment rate was still 12.5% in 2010. Cutting support for the economy of the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands will serve only to destroy any hope of maintaining the tentative economic recovery. Rather than continuing the recovery that began several years ago, our region is at risk of regressing and remaining dependent on government support, which will cost more for everyone.

The conscientious exploitation of natural resources belonging to Canadians remains a government responsibility. And, once again, our elected officials are avoiding their responsibilities.

Our analysis of the budget is therefore very pessimistic. We are opposed to the idea of drastically downsizing the government in a context of economic recovery. The repercussions may be even more serious for the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands, which have aging populations and are far from the services offered in major centres. However, we remain hopeful that the government will quickly realize that it is about to cause a catastrophe and will change its mind on several points. We also hope that it will strengthen the good measures that it plans to put in place.

For example, the eco-energy program that my dear colleague mentioned earlier could be extended for much longer than one year. Help for family caregivers could be increased significantly. The temporary hiring credit against the increase in employment insurance premiums for SMEs could be made more permanent. As a member of Parliament, I will work to convince my counterparts to strengthen such measures that are positive for our region.

I want our region, which has been hit hard by the forestry crisis, to benefit from the $60 million investment announced to help forestry companies innovate and compete. The government absolutely must extend this investment beyond one year. The government has not done enough for this industry in the past.

Furthermore, subsidies for the oil companies do nothing to help the people in our region. In my riding, known around the world for its beautiful scenery and wonderful natural resources that attract thousands of sports tourists every year, many people are disappointed that Ottawa is subsidizing the major polluters instead of encouraging a green economy. The people of the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands want assurances that their environment will be protected, and the issue of oil at the Old Harry site will be crucial in this part of Canada.

I hope that I can count on the co-operation of all members in the House in adopting practical solutions that will make a real difference in our riding. Tax cuts will not make a difference when it comes to job creation or the sound exploitation of our natural resources.

I am counting on the leadership of our Prime Minister to respect the mandate that the public has given us and to allow us to do our job in Parliament. I hope that he will listen to us when we propose solutions to help our economy offer new jobs and a decent future for Canadians. I hope that we will be able to show the people in my region that they have a place in an open and visionary Canada.

I believe that we can choose to work together constructively, respecting those who elected us.