Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise here tonight in the House of Commons, to second the motion for the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne.
I would like to thank my wife Audrey and each of my children, my four daughters and my son, for all their support in my work as an MP. I also thank the good people of Glengarry--Prescott--Russell for the confidence they have placed in me. It is an honour to represent them here in the House and in government.
I compliment the Governor General for her excellent delivery of the Speech from the Throne and I thank the Prime Minister for once again granting me and my riding of Glengarry--Prescott--Russell the great honour of replying to the Speech from the Throne.
The first speech I made in the House was to move the motion for our government's maiden throne speech which was aptly titled “Turning a New Leaf”. When Canadians went to the polls in January, almost two years ago, they did so with a singular purpose: to demand change.
Disgusted with all the scandals, fed up with wasteful spending and weak leadership and demoralized by Canada's diminished role on the international stage, men and women from across our great country stood up and said enough. They demanded clean, accountable government, lower taxes, new laws cracking down on crime, choice in child care, better access to health care and strong decisive leadership at home and abroad.
In the last session of Parliament we delivered real results on all of those fronts.
Last spring we delivered a budget that restored fiscal balance and once again we kept spending focused on results and reduced taxes for working Canadians and their families.
Among the accomplishments of our Conservative budget: the marriage penalty, out of the tax system; income splitting for seniors, a truly great initiative; the lifetime capital gains exemption for farmers and small business owners, up; and taxes for families with children, down.
Tax freedom day is the day that Canadians stop working to pay taxes and start working for themselves and their families. Because of our budgets, tax freedom day arrived four days earlier this year and it will be earlier again next year.
Recently our government released an update on the health of the Canadian economy. The good news contained in its pages far outstripped our expectations. Indeed, thanks to our government's sound fiscal management, we were able to announce one of the largest debt reductions in history: $14.2 billion and that is on top of the $13.2 billion we paid down last year. Less debt means less interest.
Whereas the Liberals think these savings belong in government coffers, Conservatives believe they belong in the pockets of hard-working Canadian taxpayers. Thanks to our government's tax back guarantee, that is exactly where they will go, $725 million in fact in the form of personal income tax cuts.
It may be a minority Parliament where the Liberals, NDP and Bloc hold most of the seats, but this Parliament's accomplishments have been thoroughly Conservative: a lower GST; tax relief for commuters, students, trades people, seniors; kids' sports; tax relief for parents with children; a child care plan that focuses money on families directly instead of on a day care bureaucracy.
A national plan to preserve ecologically sensitive lands, a regulatory regime which, for the first time, reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are Conservative accomplishments.
Fixed dates for federal elections, tougher laws against crime and more support for victims are Conservative accomplishments.
More support for veterans, boosting the military to better defend our country at home and protect our interests abroad and refocusing Canada's foreign policy to promote freedom, democracy and human rights are Conservative accomplishments. The list goes on.
Today, through Her Excellency, the Governor General, our government laid out the five core priorities in our long term agenda to build the stronger, safer country Canadians deserve.
To this end, in the next session of Parliament we will focus on strengthening Canada's sovereignty and security, modernizing the federation and our democratic institutions, providing effective economic leadership for a prosperous future, tackling crime and making our communities safer, and improving the environment and the health of Canadians.
While Her Excellency was thorough and clear in her explanation of the government's agenda, I would like to draw attention to a few aspects in particular. First and foremost, I am delighted that our government will continue in its drive to provide the military with the equipment and training it needs to do the job. I joined the military at the age of 17 and was honoured to serve our great country in uniform for 20 years. The dedication, professionalism and courage of our men and women of the Canadian Forces is a source of great pride for Canadians across the country. When I speak to my former military colleagues, I hear the same message time and time again, “We cannot remember when we have had a better ally in Ottawa”.
As the Prime Minister himself has said on many occasions, Canada is back. This is due in no small part to our reinvigorated Canadian Forces proudly and selflessly standing up for freedom, democracy and human rights around the world. As I have said previously in the House, our government is standing up for our military men and women because they bravely stand up for Canada each and every day.
As for modernizing our federation, everyone knows that federal-provincial relations suffered considerably under the previous government. Instead of working constructively with its provincial and territorial partners, the government tried to impose its will, thereby seriously undermining national unity.
I am proud to say that, thanks to our government's policy of open and flexible federalism, that sad chapter in the history of intergovernmental relations is drawing to a close.
The Speech from the Throne confirms our intention to strengthen national unity by placing formal limits on the use of the federal spending power. We will do away with the rigid, centralizing dogma of the previous government.
As a Franco-Ontarian myself, and a member representing a riding with more than 60,000 Franco-Ontarians, I am delighted that the government is reaffirming its support for Canada’s linguistic duality.
Developing a strategy for the next phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages will serve to strengthen both official languages and bilingualism in Canada, from coast to coast to coast.
I am the member of Parliament for the largely rural riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell and farmers are a key component of my riding's economy and way of life. I meet with farmers all the time and, as such, I know and understand the challenges facing our farmers. Under the previous government, their needs fell on deaf ears. Now they have a government in Ottawa that is not just listening but delivering real results.
Uncertainty for the future has been replaced by stable, predictable and bankable support for Canadian farm families. It is for all of those reasons and many more that I am pleased to support and second the motion proposed by my colleague from Avalon.
In the days ahead, I urge my opposition colleagues to support the throne speech. Canadians have been clear: They do not want an election. They want us to govern, to provide leadership and to make Canada better for all of us. It is up to the opposition, however, to determine whether Canadians will be heading back to the polls this fall.
I sincerely hope that the opposition members will respect the will of Canadians: let us govern, rather than simply posture, and help our government to make Canada the stronger, safer and better place that Canadians deserve.
