Notes for an address by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to the Gatineau Chamber of Commerce

Gatineau, Quebec
April 13, 2006

Check Against Delivery

I am very proud to be here today among friends.

Since I have lived here, I have come to appreciate the deep sense of pride that unites the people of the Outaouais region.

I also am very aware of the great willingness to contribute to Gatineau's development among the members of your Chamber of Commerce. This desire has become even stronger since amalgamation and the birth of our new City.

I salute your exemplary commitment to our community's prosperity and success.

As a member of the City of Gatineau municipal unity committee during the municipal amalgamation campaign, I had the pleasure of working side by side with your Chair and my friend, Martin Lacasse.

I am happy to be able to publicly recognize his ongoing civic commitment.

Dear friends,

On January 23, Canadians voted for change.

I am here today to tell you that: yes, under a new Conservative government, many things will change. We have not forgotten that our slogan during the last election was "Stand Up For Change". And we are going to do just that.

But before I outline the main points of our agenda for change, I would like to point out that one thing hasn't changed, and shouldn't change.

If Canada has become one of the great successes of the 20th century, if today we are admired and even envied by the entire world, it is because we have recognized what distinguishes us as a society and what unites us as a country.

Open Federalism

Our government fully intends to respect and even strengthen the spirit that gave birth to Canadian Confederation.

During the election campaign, Prime Minister Harper outlined the principles on which the new open federalism would be based:

• recognition of the autonomy of the provinces and the Quebec government's special cultural and institutional responsibilities;
   
• respect for federal and provincial jurisdictions, as set out in the Canadian Constitution;
   
• the possibility of Quebec participation in international organizations such as UNESCO;
   
• ongoing consultation between the federal government and the provinces;
   
• correction of the fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces;
   
• cooperation with the Council of the Federation;
   
• limiting federal spending power; and
   
• an open attitude toward dialogue on how to strengthen the Canadian federation and integrate Quebec into the constitutional family, when circumstances are favourable.

We will also continue to apply the principle of bilingualism within our institutions and in the federal government.

Our Priorities

To clearly understand the actions taken by our government, first, it is important to understand that the Prime Minister determined to stick to five top priorities among our campaign promises.

Mr. Harper has been very clear: all ministers and the federal Public Service are to focus their efforts on these five priorities in coming months. Not seven; not twelve; five.

First, we have committed to cleaning up government and making it more transparent and more accountable to Canadians.

We took an important step in this direction this week by tabling the first Federal Accountability Act in the House of Commons.

This Act was unfortunately necessary because of the scandalous abuses committed at the highest levels of the federal government and the Liberal Party of Canada in recent years.

We even saw the unbelievable spectacle of a Prime Minister having to ban for life key party members whose behaviour was quite simply indefensible.

As an MP of the Ottawa-Gatineau region, I also want to tell the thousands of public servants who work in this region and throughout Canada that we certainly understand the how frustrated many felt at shouldering the blame for scandals for which they were not responsible.

The reality - and I am reminded of this every day since assuming my duties as Minister - is that Canada has one of the best - if not the very best - public services in the world.

At first glance, for many Canadians, the new Accountability Act looks complicated.

But it can be summarized very well in two short words: "never again".

The new Federal Accountability Act also gives greater powers to the Auditor General.

From now on, the Auditor General will be responsible for monitoring exchanges of funds by all individuals and organizations that receive federal funding.

In particular, she will be responsible for reviewing the financial statements of all Crown corporations.

The NCC

I also want to make the governance of the 17 Crown corporations for which I am responsible more transparent, more democratic, and more efficient. This includes the National Capital Commission, which you know well.

And I would like to announce today that we will be conducting an in-depth review of the NCC's role.

We have already announced that the roles of Chair and Chief Executive Officer, which are currently combined into one position, will be split into two when the current Chair's term comes to an end.

But we must do more than just review the Commission's governance.

The NCC's mandate has not been reviewed for more than 20 years, and I think the time has come to determine whether it corresponds with new realities.

It is time to ask some basic questions about its role.

I should add here that during this time, the NCC has contributed greatly to making the Ottawa-Gatineau region one of the most beautiful capitals in the world.

It has also greatly improved the quality of life of the people in the region, fostered the appreciation of millions of Canadians for their country, and created a favourable image of Canada abroad.

But we must ask ourselves questions like:

• Is the NCC still relevant? Is it even necessary?
   
• Who should sit on the Commission?
   
• Could its decision-making process be more democratic?
   
• That is one of the most fundamental questions we must ask ourselves: is the NCC democratic enough?
   
• Should the NCC continue to prepare plans for and assist in the development, conservation and improvement of the National Capital Region or are these responsibilities that could be assumed by the municipal government?
   
• Should the NCC continue to organize, sponsor and promote public activities and events or could these activities be undertaken by, for example, the Cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, the National Arts Centre, the Canada Council or a private sector organization?
   
• Should the NCC have expropriation authority?

Do the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau have sufficient opportunities to participate in decision-making that affects the day-to-day lives and the future of their citizens?

I hope this review of the NCC's role will be done openly and will allow citizens - of the region, of course, but also from across Canada - to have their say.

Other priorities

As our second priority, we will be lowering taxes, starting with the GST.

Third, we will strengthen the justice system.

Fourth, we will give parents a choice about childcare.

Finally, we will be working hard to solve the problem of the fiscal imbalance, making it possible to guarantee waiting times for medical procedures.

Like all my cabinet colleagues, I intend to pursue our government's agenda with diligence and conviction.

We are not doing so because we think these priorities are good for the Conservative Party.

Quite simply, we think that these priorities reflect the priorities of a majority of Canadians and that they will contribute directly to the effectiveness of government, the prosperity of our citizens, the safety of our communities, and the balance of the federation.

Transport and Infrastructure

Our decision to pursue these five priorities does not mean that we will abandon the other commitments in our platform, or that we will be turning a deaf ear to other needs expressed by the public or by other governments.

More specifically, we will be acting on the commitments we made during the election campaign in the areas of transportation, infrastructure and communities, the areas for which I am responsible to Parliament, and thus to you.

I am firmly committed to developing an integrated transportation strategy, in cooperation with the provinces and in consultation with municipalities.

As president of the Société de transport de l'Outaouais, I was in a position to see the importance of public transit in a growing community, as well as the urgency of ensuring that transit has stable and predictable financing.

We are also committed to negotiating with the provinces on a new agreement to create stable, ongoing funding for highway and border infrastructure.

We have already announced that we will be putting another $2 billion into this fund over the next five years.

But transportation does not just mean big bucks and big projects.

For many people, getting to and from work (or elsewhere) is a daily problem and one that uses up a significant chunk of their budgets. For example, a typical Canadian household spent an average of $8,353 on transport in 2003 - less than the cost of housing, but more than the cost of food.

That is why we announced during the election campaign that transit users would get a federal tax credit to cover the cost of monthly passes. This measure, which would also apply to dependent children, could save the average transit user $153 a year.

Communities

The Transport portfolio now includes responsibility for communities, and I welcome this for several reasons.

First, I think it makes a great deal of sense to associate community development with the planning of transportation and infrastructure.

I am very much aware, as is Prime Minister Harper, of the direct relationship that exists between municipal institutions and provincial governments under our constitution, and I intend to scrupulously respect the spirit of that constitutional arrangement.

However, my experience has clearly shown that the finances of municipalities require concerted attention from all levels of government.

We cannot ignore the fact that 80 per cent of Canadians live in cities and that they expect to receive all the federal government services to which they are entitled, in the most economical and efficient way.

That is why the government has given Infrastructure Canada, which is now part of the Transportation portfolio, the objective of improving Canadians' quality of life.

We are very much aware of the fact that a dangerous gap is growing between the funds available to our cities and the ever-greater responsibilities they are being asked to take on.

I have direct experience of this problem as a former municipal councillor.

That is why one of our priorities is to resolve the problem, which I mentioned earlier, of the fiscal imbalance within the Canadian federation.

And it must be recognized that the fiscal imbalance is not just a federal-provincial matter. There is also a serious imbalance between the responsibilities of our cities and the resources they are being given to meet them.

We recognize that the previous government took a positive step by laying the groundwork for an infrastructure program based on sharing the gas tax, as had been requested for some time by the municipalities so that they could meet their responsibilities regarding drinking water, wastewater, local roads and public transit.

But this initiative was incomplete in that it failed to give municipal governments the stable and predictable source of funding which they had been asking for.

This is what we want to correct.

As the federal government, it is certainly not our intention to interfere with municipal taxation or place ourselves between the cities and the provincial governments. That is neither our intention nor our style.

However, I do think that the federal, provincial and municipal governments can and should work together to find solutions that will enable our municipalities to flourish.

I have already met with several mayors to discuss this issue, including the mayors of the three largest Canadian cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

I also met recently with the new mayor of Gatineau, with whom I had the pleasure to sit on council for four years, and who I am pleased to see here with us today.

I also want to assure the Gatineau business community that we will recognize and encourage the important role played by the private sector in developing our communities.

Regional priorities

Earlier I mentioned the five priorities of the new government. Now as I bring my remarks to a close, I would also like to mention the four priorities I intend to pursue as Member of Parliament for Pontiac and Minister for the Outaouais region.

You will understand that my first priority will be to assist the people in my riding.

The border of this huge riding- the second largest in Quebec - is located just a few kilometres from Parliament Hill. But a good portion of the population of Pontiac is living under difficult conditions that are unacceptable in our country.

That is why I intend to work tirelessly to create new jobs in the riding and to establish better public services.

The people of Pontiac are proud people. They are honest, hard-working, independent people. They believe in fundamental values. In community spirit. In regional solidarity.

They believe that effort should be rewarded, that initiative should be encouraged. They are courageous and compassionate.

But the Pontiac region needs help to develop to the full its economic and social potential.

And I will do my utmost to give new hope and new possibilities to the people of Pontiac.

Before I come to my other three priorities, which more directly concern the people of Gatineau, I would like to mention that from the moment of my appointment to Cabinet, I have benefited from the support and cooperation of the Mayor of Gatineau as well as Members of the National Assembly, Roch Cholette, Norm MacMillan, Benoît Pelletier, Charlotte Lécuyer and Réjean Lafrenière.

This cooperation, which transcends party labels, is a concrete example of solidarity among those representing the Outaouais region. Such solidarity is our greatest strength, and I am sure that, working together, we can find the solutions that the people of our region have long been awaiting on a number of issues.

For example, I intend to move forward on the noise wall along the Maloney Boulevard ramp. I hope to be taking part in a joint announcement on that matter shortly.

I also intend to use my influence to ensure that the future museum of science and technology is built on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, more specifically in Jacques Cartier Park.

Finally, I will be paying special attention to improving the road and transit infrastructure in the region, and specifically I will be working on a project that has been close to my heart for some time--the Rapibus.

And now my friends, I have one final priority: and that it to wish you a pleasant Easter holiday.

Thank you.