Rodger Cuzner

[Canada Grain Act, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister has stated, one thing we can learn in the House is that any time a department puts forward amendments, changes in regulations, legislation, project development or whatever it might be, the quality of that program reflects directly on the amount of consultation that takes place.

I know in my own constituency, where we have a great number of coastal communities, the fisheries drive the economies in those communities. It is great to develop a plan in the office space in Ottawa between senior departmental officials or whatever, but how will that play out on the waters and on the wharves?

We speak about the groups that have been consulted, and the provinces play a significant role in this, which was mentioned by my colleague as well. With the consultation that has taken place, what has the response been from those groups? Could the minister give us some kind of indication as to just how that has been received?

[Foreign Affairs, March 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, for the past year our finance minister has served as a member of Tony Blair's commission for Africa.

Last year I had the opportunity of travelling to four African nations with the minister to speak with the African people to find out just what it was that they needed on the ground.

Today the commission released its report. Could the minister tell the House how this report will set the stage for the African people to finally take charge of their futures? How will it help set the stage for entrepreneurship and growth?

[The Budget, March 9th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, maybe I will start out with a bit of a refresher. There is a great book on the stands now. It might be worthwhile for the member for Simcoe--Grey to pick it up. It is the recent release by General Roméo Dallaire called Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda . He talks early in the book about his experience back through the late eighties when, under Conservative rule and during Conservative times, the military was gutted. Military budgets were hacked and slashed. It was the single most demoralizing time that he can remember senior officials going through. He said that he left Ottawa in total disgust.

Would the people who she represents in Borden be a little more pleased with this budget, more so than when the military was under Conservative rule?

[The Budget, March 7th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, there was prudence exhibited through the budget presentation. I know my colleague across the way comes from a business background. What we heard from businesses, educational institutions and from provinces was that they wanted numbers they could count on over a long period of time.

Probably the most significant budget tabled in the House in a number of years was the budget of 1995. It projected three year reductions in income tax. This budget would be the second most significant budget presented in that time due to the five years out. It gives people the long term ability to plan and go forward.

[The Budget, March 7th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether it is a new-found commitment to the military on the part of the party across the way. Obviously the $13 billion put forward in the budget is significant.

I would encourage the member to pick up the book by Roméo Dallaire, Shake Hands with the Devil . It is an interesting read. On page 38 he speaks about the cuts that took place in the late 1980s under the Conservative government. He talks about the drop in morale. He said:

I had never seen morale drop so fast and so violently in a group of experienced officers as it did on that day in March 1987.

He was reflecting on when Perrin Beatty, the then minister of national defence, brought forward a budget and his document on national defence.

--Beatty tabled a toothless and even hypocritical document. Over the next two years, the Conservatives hacked and slashed what was left of our acquisition programs. I finally left Ottawa in disgust in the summer of 1989.

Short memories maybe, but if we think back to when the budget document was tabled, all Canadians will remember the $13 billion that was invested in our military, the greatest and most significant investment in the military over the last 20 years.

[The Budget, March 7th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, it is certainly a pleasure to join in the debate on the budget.

As well, it is a pleasure to share my time with the Minister of National Defence, a member who certainly is held in high esteem in the House. I congratulate him on his job in presenting the case for the men and women of the Canadian armed forces to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance as he secured an additional $13 billion in new funding, the single largest increase in military spending in the past 20 years. As indicated, those dollars will go toward the acquisition of new equipment and quality of life issues for the men and women of the armed forces. Certainly this will allow the armed forces to play a significant role on the world stage and will support our position as a global leader. I congratulate the minister.

I would like to comment on what was not in the budget. For the first time since coming to the House my colleague from Sydney—Victoria and I were very pleased to see that the Sydney tar ponds were not mentioned in a budget document. Contrary to the intervention by my colleague across the way, the member for Red Deer who is the Conservative Party critic on the environment, that promise was made and kept in 2004 when the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the Minister of Finance blended their forces to come up with $280 million in federal money to work with the province of Nova Scotia in addressing the problem of the cleanup of the Sydney tar ponds.

That money has been booked. That money has been peeled out. The project has been brought forward by the province of Nova Scotia. It is being juried now by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the Minister of the Environment. There will be a decision made as to the assessment process of the project that is being put forward and then the cleanup will continue.

Make no mistake that even as this process transpires, there is work being done on the Sydney tar ponds. Projects common to whatever technology is used are being advanced. Over $40 million will be spent in the next two years to build such things as cofferdams, projects that will assist with that cleanup process. Much has been done. The fundamentals are in place and that cleanup will proceed.

I will make comments on three broad issues. Obviously the people of Cape Breton—Canso, like all other Canadians, have an interest in the federal government making sure that sound fiscal management is adhered to. We are no different from any other Canadian.

Recording an eighth consecutive balanced and surplus budget is significant. It is the first time since Confederation. This has allowed the federal government to apply $60 billion in surplus funds on the accrued debt, which has enabled us to release an additional $3 billion annually to go into programs such as health care, transportation and infrastructure. All of those programs have benefited from sound fiscal management by the government.

Again in this budget we see responsibility in the establishment of a contingency reserve fund of $3 billion. That is significant and important. It allows the federal government when national emergencies arise, such as SARS and what took place with hurricane Juan in Nova Scotia, to step in and play its part in helping communities, cities and provinces deal with those emergencies.

The health care accord was signed and the money is being booked in this budget. Again, for years we heard that the number one priority of all Canadians was the health care system and making sure that a sound financial structure was in place to ensure that all Canadians had universal access to health care services.

For the people in Nova Scotia it means an additional $1.6 billion over the next 10 years in their health care system. This goes to core service funding. This goes toward acquisition of new equipment. In my own community the Cape Breton Regional Hospital has been able to secure an MRI unit. We established a bone densitometer unit in the hospital. In Inverness in Richmond County we have been able to secure digital X-ray machines. Now an X-ray can be taken and can be e-mailed anywhere in the world to be read by a specialist. There is benefit. As well, moneys have been identified to try to address wait times.

The budget identifies the money that Canadians expect to see in their child care and early intervention systems. Our Minister of Social Development continues to meet with the provinces and deal with this important issue. He will embark on a round of bilateral agreements. We are hoping that very soon Nova Scotia will be ready to sign on to this federal deal and that the community services minister, David Morse, will be able to apply those moneys where they are so very greatly needed.

We look at the current plight of the Town Day Care Centre in Glace Bay in trying to establish a new day care facility. We hope that there is latitude and conditions in the bilateral agreement so that investment in such facilities can take place.

Several aspects of the budget speak directly to the people in Atlantic Canada and to the people of Cape Breton--Canso. I want to identify a couple of those important aspects.

There is one thing that the Atlantic caucus pushed for strongly. We were very pleased that the Prime Minister recognized that we have had success in this area. He knows that further success can be realized through investments through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. We have had tremendous success through our ACOA programming over the last number of years. We believe that the $700 million that was booked in this budget will continue to build on that success.

I look at some of the opportunities that have been seized and realized. EDS, Stream International, Dynogen and Techlink are companies that have come to establish in the Atlantic region, in Cape Breton specifically. They have been able to grow the number of jobs within our community.

Only 10 short years ago our unemployment rate hovered around 24% or 25%. Currently with the investments that have been made and the strides taken in growing the job market, unemployment is down to on either side of 14%. It has been down as low as 14%. It is at about 14.5% to 15% right now, which is progress. More Canadians are working. More Canadians are contributing to the system. We have done this by trying to address research and development in innovative industries.

There is a great success story in Mulgrave. Ocean Nutrition has come in and has created about 120 jobs right in Mulgrave. The company develops omega-3 fish oils.

The $350 million that has been booked for EI reform will benefit those who work in seasonal industries. Again, in rural Cape Breton, rural Nova Scotia, the industries that drive the economic engine, tourism, forestry, and of course the fishery, are seasonal in nature. These are not seasonal workers; these are seasonal industries. The changes in the money that has been booked for those industries will certainly give some confidence to the people who work in those industries and to people in those communities.

On the guaranteed income supplement, $2.7 billion will make a difference in the households of those seniors on low incomes. There is $400 for each individual, $700 a couple.

I believe that those changes and the programs that were identified in the budget will make a significant difference in the lives of Canadians from coast to coast, including the Canadians whom I represent in my constituency.

[Income Tax Act, March 7th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very enthused and encouraged with both the candour and tone of the debate today on my Bill C-273. I appreciate hearing all those who took the opportunity to speak to the bill today.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank both the member for Malpeque and my colleague from Lethbridge who put forward similar bills in the 37th Parliament and who have been very kind and forthcoming. Between the three of us I think we have been able to massage a bill that is palatable and one that will serve the best interests of those very important volunteers who we hope to help.

Every community in the country is touched in some way by fire service providers. Over 200,000 Canadians have put themselves forward as a fire service providers. Being a representative from rural Canada, from rural Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, it becomes even more evident. I have over 50 fire departments within my constituency which consists of small hamlets and villages. The men and women of those communities come forward to offer their services for the betterment of the communities.

The fact that we are debating this private member's bill on a day when the House recognized the loss of four brave young Canadians in Mayerthorpe, it becomes more evident and allows us an opportunity to offer that respect and recognition for those who work in protection services such as law enforcement and fire services. They are men and women who place themselves in danger for the betterment of their fellow citizens on a daily basis. It is significant that we are able to debate the bill on this particular day. What the bill tries to do is give communities an opportunity to recruit, retain and reward those volunteers who put their names forward and offer their services.

In preparation for today's debate I looked through some information in regard to recruitment. In the small community of Hanna in south central Alberta, fire chief David Mole of the Hanna volunteer fire department is very concerned because the number of volunteers have dwindled as young people have left the community for work elsewhere. The numbers have dropped off and the department is at the extreme low limit in volunteers. It is causing great concern within that small community. I think we see that in each of the communities that have volunteer fire services.

Will the bill elicit a great outpouring of people signing up? I do not know. If it is another tool in the bag of the fire chief and his department to encourage young people to sign up, then I think we are doing our job in providing a recruitment tool.

The Glace Bay volunteer fire department had its installation of officers with Chief Arnold McKinnon recognizing Jim Taylor's 25 years of exemplary service with the federal service medal. I think that is significant. It is a reward for those who place themselves in danger. For the people who are running into the building when everybody is running out, I think there has to be some small reward.

I am very pleased with the debate today and it is my hope that all members will see the merit in the bill and will be able to support this private member's bill.

[The Budget, February 24th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a comment further to the comments made by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. One thing we have worked hard on and worked toward over the last three years is a commitment to preserve Atlantic salmon and to invest in enforcement, habitat protection and the security of that stock. What we saw in the budget was a tremendous commitment by the government to do just that.

My office has been inundated today with e-mails and phone calls from people throughout Inverness County and along the Margaree River more specifically because this sustains that community. The health of the fishery and of that river is the essence of the tourism industry. When there are no fish in the river, there are no heads in beds. There are no people in the bed and breakfast. There are no people in the cabins along the Margaree River. This is just one part of Atlantic Canada that benefits from an investment by the government.

This is money that is wisely invested. Sometimes when we talk about the fishery, we tend to get caught up in the commercial aspect of it. For every pound of salmon caught commercially, we are looking at about $5 a pound. Looking at it from a recreational fishermen standpoint, it is about $300 a pound by the time they travel to the area, seek accommodation and entertain.

I would like to thank not only the Minister of Finance, but also the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the parliamentary secretary for their work. This is a significant investment in rural Canada and it is much appreciated by those along salmon rivers in Canada.

[Veterans, February 22nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to stand here today and support my colleague, the member for Tobique—Mactaquac, on this very important private member's motion. I think there is even an extra importance to the motion today. It gives it additional relevance when we look at the fact that the year 2005 is the year of the veteran.

For the decades after the wars we were very fortunate to have first-hand accounts from veterans who returned and were able to give us their stories about the rigours of war, the sense of loss and the acts of bravery and courage, those things the people back home could barely understand. We are very fortunate that we have been able to at least begin to understand the heroism that was exhibited by our soldiers, by the men and women who served this country. We were at least able to begin to understand what they went through. They had to deal with the gruelling situations they found themselves in and with the loss of comrades and the loss of life.

I think that only those who have experienced it can really come to terms with the tragedy of war, but as a people we are fortunate that those veterans made a point of coming back and sharing with us at least the stories of courage and bravery. Many young lives were lost. Many lives were not lived and many pages were not turned. That is indeed sad.

As we go into the legion halls, meet with veterans groups, attend Remembrance Day ceremonies and go to the various services, it becomes more obvious that each year our veterans are fewer in number. There are fewer of those people who can stand and give testament to the horrors and tragedy of war and that is sad.

Certainly as a people and as a country, I know that we, along with the world, were really given a true dose of reality on September 11, 2001. The unprecedented attack on the World Trade Center really awakened us as a country and as a free people to the fact that we live in a global world and that we are certainly not insulated. We are not immune to the horrors of evil deeds and the horrors of terrorism.

At that time as well, I think, it awakened a great sense of reality that we have been very fortunate as a nation and as a free people to have had young men and women who have answered the call of a nation to fight for democracy and freedom during the second world war and since then. I think the events of September 11 really shook us and made us more aware of the fact that the price that was paid back then was dear and it was real. Since September 11, the numbers are greater at local Remembrance Day ceremonies. I know that last year approximately 15,000 people turned out to the Remembrance Day service here in the nation's capital.

That speaks to the fact that not just the baby boomers, but the families, friends, all Canadians are more respectful, more in tune and more aware now that it is important to keep the alive the memory of those who served and those who died. We are fortunate that communities are still in tune with that.

When it comes down to it, the importance of the motion and the gist of it, it is all about some of our utmost precious national icons, our cenotaphs, our monuments commemorating the sacrifice of the men and women who went to war, the men and who never came home, the men and women whose families still mourn.

Over the years, communities big and small have taken it upon themselves to ensure that these memories are not forgotten. Local legions, army, navy and air force veterans have taken on the responsibility of ensuring that these people are remembered. Provincial and municipal governments and community organization sometimes, but volunteers for the most part have driven the projects to erect cenotaphs and memorials for our fallen soldiers and loved ones. Their sheer hard work, sweat, equity and investment in fundraising events to put moneys together have ensured that these cenotaphs and monuments are established.

I know in my own constituency, the local legion in Louisburg, branch 62, back in the spring of 2002 embarked on a project to build a cenotaph and develop a park area around it, a very solemn and quiet space where one could go and reflect. I recall the group asking for financial support from the federal government. That was the first type of request of that nature which I was able to pursue. I was totally shocked that there was no avenue for the federal government to assist this group. The group took it upon themselves to raise money, with a number of different fundraisers and donations from the community. They were very generous. However, I was amazed that there was no vehicle or tool for us to get involved in a project like that.

I guess that addresses the fact that this motion should be enable the federal government to work with these community groups to develop and ensure that these monuments and cenotaphs are preserved.

Whatever government action there might be, it comes down to ways and means. What is the best use of federal dollars when we look at trying to ensure that we honour and celebrate the memories of those lost, the fallen soldiers? Is it through education programs through the schools? Is it through written materials, printed materials?

Cenotaphs and monuments are key in this. People can go to see the names, the numbers and the ages of those young people who answered the call to go and defend freedom and democracy.

The other key aspect of this is, in no way does the motion identify that the federal government wants to take over total responsibility.This is an opportunity for the federal government to step in and assist community groups, legions, army, navy, air force veterans groups and community organizations to ensure that the memories of these very important people, who contributed to the great country we have in Canada today, are respected.

I can assure members that I will be supporting the motion when it comes forward for a vote, and I would like to congratulate my colleague for bringing it forward.

[International Trade, February 16th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservative Party has been caught picking from its orchard of broken promises.

The member for Newmarket--Aurora stated in the House, “On behalf of the Conservative Party I am recommending that we allow Bill C-31 to proceed...”. And what happened yesterday? The Conservative Party voted against the motion, playing politics with yet another bill.

It seems that the member for Newmarket--Aurora has taken a page from the political style book of the deputy leader of the Conservative Party. If we cannot trust that party to fulfill its word when it comes to a vote in the House of Commons, how can Canadians expect them to keep any promises at all? It seems that party's word is not worth the napkin it is written on.