Wladyslaw Lizon

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I see the opinion that it is the European Union on one side and Russia on the other. On one side we see the European Union that is democratic, inclusive, a group of countries that decided to work together, and on the other side we see Russia, which is not democratic, that wants to rule over others, and the future looks bleak.

The government that was formed today, the government of national unity, has to be approved by parliament tomorrow. It has a very hard task in front of it. One of the tasks is to bring people together, to make sure there is no talk about division in Ukraine. The government has to make sure that all Ukrainians feel included, not excluded, from the whole system. I would like to ask the hon. member for her comments on that.

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I think there is a difference between the two countries. Poland, fortunately, had a tradition of democracy. It was a country before it was partitioned and was so as well before the First and Second World Wars.

The Ukrainians did not have that advantage. That is why it is probably more difficult for them to do it, but the great achievement of Ukrainians is the fact that no one dreamed of democracy 25 year ago, yet they have a free country and it should be up to them what they do with their future. I am optimistic that they will turn the country around with our help and the help of others.

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague opposite for her question, and yes, we did travel to observe an election. We went to different places, but I had a similar experience on the ground there.

To answer her question directly, the great potential Ukraine has is its people. They are well educated and very hard workers. Even if the economic data presented today by different people is not that good, the potential the country has is enormous. If these people are given a chance, they will turn the country around in a relatively short period of time. I am truly positive of this and very optimistic.

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I have a lot of contact with Ukrainian Canadians, with the Canadian Ukrainian Congress, and with people who organize and come to the events. They were reacting to what was going on in Ukraine very rapidly.

I understand that the Canadian delegation now going to Ukraine and led by our Minister of Foreign Affairs includes representatives from the Canadian Ukrainian community. I am sure they will be a great help in guiding us in future actions toward Ukraine.

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, just for the record, I am not a Ukrainian Canadian. I was born and raised in Poland, but I do have many Ukrainian Canadians in my constituency. I have a beautiful Ukrainian Catholic church in my constituency and many businesses.

I wanted to take part in this debate because I can truly relate to the struggles of the people in Ukraine and what has been going on in Ukraine over these past few months.

I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Edmonton East.

I agree with the member for Toronto Centre that to fully understand what was going on and to really help Ukraine, we have to understand the historical aspect of the Ukrainians' struggle for independence. I am not talking about the past 24 years, since 1991. It started a long time before that.

I would like to quote two lines from the poem Testament, or Zapovit, written by a Ukrainian icon, Taras Shevchenko:

[Member spoke in Ukrainian and provided the following translation:]

Bury me, then rise up and break your heavy chains.

[English]

This was written over 150 years ago. Ukraine had to wait 130 years after Shevchenko's death to break those chains.

More recently, 10 years ago, during the Orange Revolution, people stood up because after the rigged election they did not accept the results. People did not accept the fact that one of the presidential candidates was being poisoned by secret agents. In 2004 and 2005, after the Orange Revolution, everybody was so hopeful that everything in Ukraine would go smoothly and toward democracy. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

What has happened in the past few months is truly tragic, not only because people died. It is tragic when people die, but it is also tragic that the government used force against people. It was not only the police and the riot police. The government ordered snipers to go on the roof and shoot people randomly. That is something that should not be happening in our times. That is why we should be concerned about what is going to happen next.

Today, we have good news. The new government of national unity was formed. The young journalist, the lady who was beaten up and left to die, is part of that group. A gentleman, whose name I think is Mr. Bulatov, who was also beaten up and had to be brought to a hospital in Lithuania, is also part of that group.

Ukraine will need a lot of help and guidance. There is truly hard work in front of all Ukrainians.

I would also like to quote the next lines from the national anthem:

[Member spoke in Ukrainian and provided the following translation:]

Our enemies will vanish like dew in the sun, and we should rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.

[English]

That is the important part: “our own”. The Ukrainian people do not want to be ruled by anybody anymore.

Ukraine has a big neighbour, but unfortunately, Russia is not democratic, which is the main problem. It is very hard to be hopeful when one's neighbour is trying to go back to Soviet times.

[4th Annual Winter Classic Hockey Tournament, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on February 17, which was Family Day in Ontario, the Applewood Hockey Association and the Streetsville Hockey League hosted their 4th Annual Winter Classic hockey tournament at Chic Murray Arena, in Mississauga.

Both organizations share deep roots in Mississauga. The Applewood Hockey Association is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the Streetsville Hockey League has been providing hockey programs since 1946.

Tyke, Minor Novice, Novice, Atom, Pee Wee, and Minor Midget teams, from both sides, competed on the ice in the frigid cold.

This event was an excellent opportunity to showcase the outstanding hockey development programs that both organizations have to offer.

Congratulations to the participants, parents, and the organizing committee, namely Chris Loreto, Wendy and Brian Webster, Neil Painchaud, Stephane Angers, and Mark Zizek, for their work and dedication to the development of hockey in Canada. I truly enjoyed this event.

It is because of grassroots organizations that Canada continues to lead the world in hockey.

Many thanks.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the short answer is that this is more proof that the plan started in 2006 is working very well.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as we know from past years' experiences and the infrastructure projects that were happening in the GTA and in many places in Canada, there was co-operation between all levels of government, and I do not see this not happening in the future. We are open to co-operating and we will be in the great infrastructure projects that we propose for our country.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in a 10-minute speech we cannot cover the whole budget. That is why we have many speakers.

I am very much aware of gridlock in the GTA. I also drive, and members of my family drive. Therefore, we are very aware of the fact that there is a problem.

Over the years, our government invested huge amounts of dollars in improving the communications system in the GTA. We invested money in expanding the subway system in the GTA. Of course, we have to do more and we can also do better, and that is our goal. We have a plan. We are implementing it and we can only go forward.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga—Brampton South.

It is my pleasure to highlight some of the key measures in the federal budget, economic action plan 2014, “The Road to Balance: Creating Jobs and Opportunities”, recently tabled by the Minister of Finance.

This is our government's tenth budget since coming to office in 2006. Throughout this period, our country has faced many challenges, including a global recession. Our government, under our Prime Minister's leadership, has always made it a priority to ensure that Canada's economy stays strong and that we take the right measures to limit the impact of the recession here within our borders. When preparing our annual budgets, we have never strayed from our commitment to strengthen our economy for all Canadians without adding additional pressures on our citizens and businesses by raising taxes.

While the opposition likes to criticize how we have handled the economy and what we have chosen to prioritize in our budgets, the reality is that Canada has done much better than our G7 partners.

Here I will highlight some of the aspects of the budget that I am very proud of and that I believe are extremely important to my constituents and all Canadians.

One of the goals of our government is to ensure that we achieve a balanced budget. By staying firm on this commitment, Canada has earned a strong and credible reputation for responsible fiscal management. This, I believe, is the main reason Canada's economy has continued to recover. During the economic storm, we have continued to reduce our deficit, by almost two-thirds, so that our government will return to a balanced budget by 2015.

Another critically important matter that affects our economy is ensuring that we provide the assistance necessary to help Canadians find good jobs. To make sure that Canada's labour force is well positioned to meet future challenges, last year our government announced that the skills training system in Canada would be transformed to better help Canadians acquire the skills that would actually get them hired and provide them with the tools to make career changes.

With economic action plan 2014, we are putting the wheels in motion to develop our country's greatest asset, our people.

I was pleased to see the inclusion of a new interest-free student loan for apprentices, as this would help young Canadians generally, including young Canadians in my riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville take advantage of the opportunities created in the GTA by the construction boom. I was also very pleased to see additional funding for university and college research projects, which will, of course, benefit the University of Toronto in Mississauga and Sheridan College, which is expanding and building its second campus.

Last year's economic action plan introduced the Canada job grant, aimed at connecting people looking for work with employers by encouraging employers to participate as partners in the skills training system and incurring a portion of the cost. Consultations have confirmed that employers welcome an increased role in training decisions in a way that is simple for businesses to access, and that is what we will do.

We continue to work closely with provinces and territories toward the implementation of the Canada job grant and the renewal of the labour market agreements. In jurisdictions where agreements are not secured, the Government of Canada will deliver the Canada job grant directly through Service Canada starting on April 1.

As announced previously, our government will also provide $222 million per year to better meet the employment needs of Canadian businesses and improve the employment prospects for people with disabilities.

Recently I joined representatives from Family Services of Peel to announce that our government will help people with disabilities in the Peel Region develop the skills, knowledge, and experience they need to find jobs.

Family Services of Peel is receiving over $209,000 from the opportunities fund for persons with disabilities. This funding will allow the organization to provide 60 participants with the skills and hands-on experience needed to enter and succeed in the job market. Participants will also benefit from job coaching services to help them become more independent and find employment.

To help organizations do a better job reaching out to the potential labour pool, the economic action plan proposes to invest $15 million over three years to the ready, willing and able initiative to engage employers to hire youth and working-age adults with developmental disabilities, including autism.

Let me share an email that I recently received from Mr. Brett Paveling of Community Living Mississauga:

Mr. Lizon,

On behalf of Community Living Mississauga, I would like to once again thank you...for taking time to meet with Keith Tansley and I about the Ready, Willing and Able program back on December 20th.

Thanks to your support for this important issue, we are able to celebrate the news that this week's federal budget included an allocation of $15 million towards the program over the next three years.

Again, we appreciate your ongoing support....

This was from Community Living Mississauga. I am very proud of our government's work with our community partners in the riding I proudly represent.

Our government did not stop there in addressing the labour shortages. We have made significant investments to help apprentices and the employers that hire them.

Apprentices can face significant costs to complete technical training, including educational fees, costs for tools and equipment, living expenses, and forgone wages. That is why we proposed to create the Canada apprentice loan to provide apprentices registered in their first Red Seal trade with access to interest-free loans of up to $4,000 per period of technical training. This initiative will assist more apprentices in completing their training and encourage more Canadians to consider a career in the skilled trades.

To assist older workers in adapting to a changing job market, we are renewing the targeted initiative for older workers program, representing a federal investment of $75 million over three years.

To support women entrepreneurs and small business owners, economic action plan 2014 proposes to provide $150,000 to Status of Women Canada in 2014-15 to increase mentorship among women entrepreneurs.

Balancing the budget, tackling labour shortages, and ensuring that Canadian consumers are protected are extremely important factors to ensuring a prosperous economy.

For many years now, consumers have been unsatisfied with the telecom market in Canada. Our government has paid close attention to this, and our record speaks for itself. Since the auction of wireless spectrum in 2008, prices have fallen by 20% and jobs in the wireless industry have increased by 25%.

I would also like to mention an issue that is very dear to me, and that is our government's action to improve services to our veterans who served our country.

In conclusion, I encourage all members of the House to support the budget. It is a good budget. It is in our interests to support it and support the growth of our great country.