Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to add my voice to the budget debate this evening.
First, let me reflect upon the government touting how we are now coming out of deficit and running into surplus.
It was the Conservative government that was handed several surplus budgets in a row and for a Conservative government, it has run a number of deficits over the last number of years. Finally it is getting back to a balanced approach, and it is about time.
With respect to veterans, I have to disagree with the last member who spoke. One thing I hear more often about veterans and their issues is that they are getting very agitated with the treatment they receive. Usually a lot of our veterans have gone about their work over the years, asking for nothing in return but a pat on the back and a “Thank you for your service”.
However, in the last 10 months, there has been a noticeable difference in our veterans becoming more vocal because of the way they are treated.
I am glad to hear that the committee has come up with unanimous recommendations because there are veterans, even today, outside this building, protesting that the government does not care and that all things are not as rosy as the government wants us to believe.
I would like to focus some of my thoughts on my province of Newfoundland and Labrador and, in particular, the cuts to Marine Atlantic.
Over the last number of years, we have seen tens of millions of dollars cut from the Marine Atlantic budget and, thus, it has to increase its fees. Over the last number of years, the fees have increased almost 15% to the average user.
What has happened is that the ferry service between Nova Scotia and the island of Newfoundland has become more unaffordable for many people to travel across the gulf, and this is a direct result of the cuts to Marine Atlantic and the increase in fees.
This year, as we are getting ready for the summer travel season, Marine Atlantic has announced that it has increased its fees, its budget has been cut, and it will now cut crossings. It has cut a number of crossings just as people are starting to make their plans or have already made their plans to cross on Marine Atlantic over the course of the summer. Now the service is being cut back again.
It not only impacts our tourist industry, but businesses in general. I have had a few calls this week from individuals who have said that the cuts to Marine Atlantic are hurting their businesses and the economy. They have things on the other side of the gulf that they are trying to get, but the suppliers cannot get the products into the province so they can work.
It is an economic driver of the economy in Newfoundland. It is also our link to the rest of Canada, our link to many grocery products. People probably do not realize how fresh the produce or fruit is. A lot of the produce that comes into Newfoundland and Labrador comes through North Sydney. Many times it is trucked from Montreal to North Sydney and then waits there, on the dock. Cutting crossings will impact the ability for residents of the province to get fresh produce.
I have heard from many truckers. We need to have a look at Marine Atlantic and get back to the basis of what it is there to do, which is to provide a service to our province.
Getting into Bill C-31, we were talking a bit earlier about search and rescue. One of the things that keeps coming up is the volunteer tax credit for search and rescue.
It is a good and noble idea, but it did come with a few strings attached. If someone is a volunteer firefighter and a search and rescue volunteer, his or her tax credits are combined, instead of getting one for the work as a volunteer firefighter and one as a search and rescue volunteer. They should be two separate tax credits because they are two separate and distinct jobs, even though in some communities they are rolled into one. This should be made a refundable tax credit so that low-income volunteers can also benefit from this initiative. In a lot of these communities the volunteers in these organizations have low incomes. They do it to make their community a better place and for personal fulfillment, but they do not get any benefit from it, whereas the person who is working alongside them gets the benefit, so it is not equal for all.
Before I go on, the member for Saint John mentioned the three RCMP officers who were killed this evening. I would like to echo my sympathy to the families of those RCMP officers. All of us have friends who have been involved with or are members of the force. This is a sad time for them as well. I just remembered that and wanted to make that point.
Another favourite topic of ours in Newfoundland and Labrador is ACOA and what it is doing in our province. This budget makes vague references to the programs and improvements that will be made to ACOA, but what we have seen over the last number of years is that the ACOA budget has been slashed and cut by almost $30-odd million. When we look to the estimate programs we see that the Conservatives have cut budgets to ACOA but then it is not getting money out the door.
One of the most common complaints I hear from different community groups is that it is not easy to apply. The process through ACOA is a long one. Its first initial reaction is to say no to applicants and it takes a very long time to get money out the door with ACOA. It needs to go back to what it originally had done, which is to help regional development and get back to the basics of providing regional activities and regional benefits, and for smaller projects. If we look at a lot of our communities in rural Canada, where is the presence of the federal government? It is a product over the years that right now in Newfoundland the presence of the federal government is the post office, and we have seen what has happened to that. The other presence of the federal government is the small craft harbours program, which does great work, but that is it. Often people are looking for help to improve their communities. ACOA is a good agency to deliver that, but we are not seeing that. We need to get back to the basics when it comes to ACOA and regional development.
