Scott Simms

[Economic and Fiscal Statement, November 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I must say that despite all the bravado that was quite an entertaining piece of fiction nonetheless.

I want to say to the hon. member for Peterborough that I do not know how he can imagine to be strolling down the middle of Peterborough and talk to the people at the cafés, and try to justify what has been said about his particular speech. As far as I am concerned, the economy will recover but it will despite the Conservatives as opposed to with them.

I have a question for the member and it is very specific. I want him to answer specifically because we have yet to hear it. It is about the community trust fund which in my opinion does absolutely nothing for the workers of Grand Falls-Windsor whose mill is about to shut.

I do not expect him to answer that, but what I do expect him to answer is this. How is this fund going to help someone who has been laid off in the forestry? Do not stand in the House and start talking about something about the program itself and the older workers. Once again, specifically, if I am working in the forestry and I am laid off, how is this going to help me? As a matter of fact, with a mill that is about to close, how is it going to help the forestry industry because it does not? Can the member--

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, November 25th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member asked that question. I did not get to it in my speech, but I thank my hon. colleague from northern Ontario for his question. Here is the reason.

When I sat on the heritage committee several years ago, we had Mr. Rabinovich before the committee. One of the things the CBC did, something that I thought was detrimental to regional areas, was cut the dinner-hour newscast from one hour to half an hour. It was detrimental in some markets, but the problem was that it was one decision for all regions across the country.

I absolutely agree with the member in that particular respect. Not only is it a reflection of one particular region that has to hear from itself, but the CBC also allows someone like me or someone in northern Ontario or central Newfoundland to learn about things like organ building in Quebec or modes of transportation in Nunavut. Those are the ties that bind in this particular situation.

Do I support single-year funding? Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I will go one step further. I would also like to say that we need for the CBC a model developed by the BBC in England, a seven-year funding plan that allows it to make capital investments beyond what it has right now. It allows development of programming and culture within the country. If we want to be that cultural mix and provide a sounding board for the whole country, then that multi-year funding has to be done.

It was a $60 million one-off. It should be $60 million per year, but on a multi-year basis so that the people of the CBC can--

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, November 25th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on your appointment and I look forward to seeing much more of you in the House for many years to come.

It is a great privilege to rise in the House once again to represent the wonderful people of my riding. I thank them so very much for giving me this opportunity. It is indeed an honour.

I take this opportunity to thank the people of Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor for placing their confidence in me once again and for giving me the privilege of representing them in this great institution, the House of Commons. This is not something that I have achieved on my own. Many volunteers and supporters have worked long hours on my behalf to ensure that I return to this place where I stand today. I thank all of them from the bottom of my heart.

I take the responsibility of representing the riding and I join in this debate today to put forward my views on how I feel about this throne speech, about the direction of the government and how it affects the people whom I represent, particularly of Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor and most notably for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

A number of issues affect my constituents and they have not been addressed by the government in the past. I have heard the throne speech and I stand in reply to say that, hopefully, some of the large bromides that have been put out in this speech will be addressed, although I will reserve judgment until that very point.

These are some of the issues that I consider to be very essential for our riding, certainly essential for Newfoundland and Labrador, and indeed essential for the people of our country.

The forest industry is in dire need of government help and I see nothing from the government that would suggest that this will change, at least in the throne speech. I see some general comments about how it wants to get involved more. It says that it wants to help improve the situation of the forest workers across the country, yet we do not see the concrete action. I would assume that at this point it would be a little more activist than what it has been in the past.

I know the Conservatives are going to talk about their community trust fund, but I will address more or less what it lacks a bit later. It certainly lacks in its power to help address the situation across the country for each and every person involved, all stakeholders in the forest industry.

The fishing industry is in need of restructuring, which can only happen with help from the federal government. Only a few years ago we had a summit take place in St. John's, Newfoundland. Attending it were representatives from the federal and provincial governments. It was a good summit and many of the things that came out of it have started to come to fruition, but nonetheless, still a lot of things need to be addressed. One of the issues I want to talk about restoring some dignity back into the fishery by way of licence buyouts and early retirement.

The pulp and paper industry, as I discussed earlier, is a major issue for one particular town in my riding, Grand Falls--Windsor, which is now teetering on a big decision that we hope will work out in favour of the community and for the province in general. However, it looks like the company, particularly AbitibiBowater, will make a decision by year's end that could have a great impact on my riding. Hopefully it will not be detrimental.

I have not talked about the small craft harbours program at all, and I say that in jest. We have talked about it a lot. In fact, in the last session, it was said that the deficit for the small craft harbours program, in other words, the money needed for all the harbour and wharf facilities across the country, remained at just less than half a billion dollars. Therefore, we have a long way to go.

In the last election we committed an extra $100 million in addition to what had already been allocated in the past little while. We put in an extra $100 million several years ago, which the Conservative government has renewed indefinitely. I hope it will continue that. I press upon the government the importance of this program, not because it is a fish issue but because it is an infrastructure issue. If infrastructure is what we are talking about, particularly roads, highways, sewer treatment plants and the like, we have to be talking about small craft harbours as well, as they are very important part of the country.

The former deputy minister of fisheries and oceans, when he appeared before the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, said, “The program needs $35 million per year in order to maintain the current infrastructure”, which gives us an idea of the situation in which we are now. There is an infrastructure deficit for the people who go out on the ocean.

I want to return to forestry and talk about profitability. Profitability is based on production costs. Many of our mills in Canada, including, as I mentioned, the one in Grand Falls-Windsor, are in need of major capital investment.

We have the resources, and there are two main resources we are proud of. One is the human resource, the people who work in the mill. We also have a power resource, hydroelectricity, that provides the great benefit of one of the lowest cost structures for power in the country to this particular mill. Certainly it has been a major factor and a major asset.

Although the company states that as owners of the mill they are certainly owners of this particular structure, they must realize that the power harnessed on the river belongs to the people who live in that particular community. That fact must be taken into account in this particular situation.

I want to again address another Conservative government solution, the community development trust, as it was called, of $1 billion. Here is the problem with the community development trust.

In many respects, it is positive for some of the people who have benefited. However, to put this into context, what was needed at the time was a particular program for the forest industry, not just particular programs to get people over to other jobs. Indeed there are programs for transitioning someone from working in one particular job to working in another, but what about targeted incentives, subsidies, for companies to invest in the industry? The community trust fund does not properly address that aspect.

We had a billion dollar fund that was going to do just that.

I appreciate the fact that they want to put a billion dollars into transitioning people from work and want to make other investments of that type, but the problem is that the onus is now not on failing communities, but failed communities. It is almost to the point at which they will thank you for this little investment, but tell you you're just a little bit too late. My colleague, the member for Random—Burin—St. George's, can attest to that. Talk to the people in Stephenville. They will tell you it was just a bit too late.

Let me talk about another issue. In ridings neighbouring my own, a long-standing issue that has not been addressed by the government is that many hundreds of fishermen were unfairly charged taxes by the government when they sold their licences in 1999 and 2000.

I say “unfairly” because they were given wrong advice, in writing, by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with respect to their income tax return for that particular year. Not only that, the government also settled out of court with some of the people who complained.

How about the other people, the people who were quiet, the people who did not know about this wrong advice they were given? They were left out in the cold. As a result, they paid thousands of dollars in unnecessary income tax. Before the mistake was realized and an appeal launched, time had elapsed. They were told, “We are sorry, but at this point there is nothing we can do”. This issue has to be addressed.

I also want to give homage or congratulations to one individual, Elizabeth Harvey, who lives on the south coast of our province in the beautiful riding of Random—Burin—St. George's, as my colleague can confirm. She has spent many hours on this issue and she should be addressed. The government should give her some straight answers.

I can honestly say what a proud moment it is for my province of Newfoundland and Labrador to now be a have province. This is the day when have not will be no more, as the expression goes. We are certainly proud of that distinction, but it came with a lot of hard work.

We are not just rich in oil and gas, we are rich in the young people we have in this province. They will make our province one of the jewels of the north Atlantic, the economic beacon of the north Atlantic. That is what it is today and that is what it will become, and it will flourish.

Before I say anything else about the fishery, let me just say that it has not collapsed. Rumours of its demise are simply just that. They are completely unfounded. The fishing industry contributes over $1 billion to the Canadian economy. We must keep that in mind. In Newfoundland and Labrador it is certainly still a viable industry.

In response to this throne speech, I want to say that a lot of this has to be addressed in the coming months.

[RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY, November 24th, 2008]

Congratulations on your appointment, Mr. Speaker. I wish my hon. colleague congratulations as well.

I will make this question very quick.

The member talked about community. I can certainly sympathize and empathize with him. I have over 200 communities in my riding, the largest of which is only 13,000 people, so I know what he talks about when he means community spirit.

I have a question, however, on the community trust fund.

The member zeroed in on retraining. He talked about the fact that people needed to be retrained in instances of economic downturns. Many people in the fisheries in my area are between the ages of 55 and 60. I am sure many in industries like forestry in his riding are going through the same situation. How does he feel not about retraining, but about an early retirement program that would give these people the dignity to ease their way out of the workforce and allow more young people in to the workforce? It frees it up for younger generations.

My question is not about retraining. If my colleague talks about that, I would sooner he sit down and we can go on to someone else. I would rather he talk about transitioning people out of the workforce and in to retirement.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, November 20th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to congratulate my hon. colleague. Indeed, she has spent quite a bit of time in provincial politics. Her riding neighbour is also mine, and the people of Harbour Breton are very proud. They are particularly close to me, and I meet a lot of them.

I want to ask her about a situation not so much in the fishery but in the forestry industry. I want to talk about the issue of dignity. One of the things that came up in the campaign was how people ease out of employment with a great deal of dignity. Early retirement is a major issue in her riding as well as mine. I would like for her to talk about the situations she was faced with. She touched on it in her speech very eloquently. She talked about the fact that when people achieve early retirement, they are doing it at the ages between 60 and 65 in an industry that is very tough, not only in the fishery but also the forestry. I would like her to comment.

[Elections Canada, June 13th, 2008]

That is pretty rich, Mr. Speaker. He is in, but he should be out, quite frankly.

Here is another situation. When he talks about legitimate spending, why was it the only party raided by the RCMP? Because only one party crafted a scheme to exceed national spending limits and bilk taxpayers out of illegal rebates.

Conservative candidates, like the one in my riding, are left holding the bag by a national campaign that pressured them to take part in this scheme. These candidates want to testify before a parliamentary committee, where the majority of MPs there want to hear from them.

Why is the government forcing its members, including the member for Nepean—Carleton, to filibuster the ethics committee?

[Elections Canada, June 13th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the in and out scheme was all about hiding national expenses on the books of local campaigns. The Conservatives then ran up an additional $1.3 million in ads to help marginal ridings.

The member for Nepean—Carleton partook in this scheme and some of us are begging these questions. Did the increase in votes from 2004 to 2006 come from the scheme? Does the government credit this increase to the member's personal charm and mastery of cultural sensitivity or to the fact that Conservatives exceeded advertising limits?

[Help A Village Effort, June 13th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, since 1999 the community of Glovertown in my riding, with matching funds from CIDA, has managed to raise enough money from its annual Walk for Water to provide 85 artesian wells for needy villages in India. As their member of Parliament, I am extremely proud of this remarkable achievement, a feat that is unlikely to be matched by any other community of its size.

As members may know, Help A Village Effort, or H.A.V.E., is a voluntary non-governmental organization which a constituent of mine, Mr. Gerard Feltham, and his friends started in 1982 when he was living in Haliburton-Minden, Ontario.

Since 1982 nearly 700 safe drinking water systems and many essential education and health services have been provided to thousands of needy families in hundreds of villages, particularly in India. The bulk of its support comes through the efforts and donations of friends and relatives.

Walk for Water events are now taking place in communities in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario.

This small group of people are to be commended for their outstanding efforts to improve the lives of those less fortunate and for making this world a better place.

[Chief of the Defence Staff, June 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour and pay tribute to a great Newfoundlander and Canadian. He grew up in my riding, is from the great town of Campbellton and at a very young age wanted nothing more than to be a soldier.

He graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1975 and then trained as an officer. Quickly he advanced to commanding troops from the platoon to the division levels.

He then took his leadership abilities throughout Canada and the world, serving twice in Europe and the United States and in the former Yugoslavia.

In October 2003 he was selected as the commander of the multinational NATO-led force in Kabul, Afghanistan.

For the past three years he has served with honour as the Chief of the Defence Staff. Although he was the top soldier in Canada, he always considered himself a soldier first and foremost. He is best known for being honest, direct and passionate.

On behalf of the constituents of Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, I stand in this House to salute one of our own: the pride of Campbellton and the pride of Newfoundland and Labrador, General Rick Hillier.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, May 14th, 2008]

With regard to the Small Craft Harbours Program of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, what was the funding amount allocated, granted or contributed to each harbour in each federal electoral district within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, in each of the years 2003 to 2007, inclusive?