Remarks by Tilly O’Neill-Gordon
Member of Parliament for Miramichi
Reply to the Speech from the Throne
January 26, 2009

Merci monsieur le Président

I bring greetings from the wonderful people of Mirimachi – a community as beautiful and unstoppable as the great river that runs through our riding.

 While I was home, it was wonderful to be able to renew my grounding of the issues facing our remarkable riding – and I am grateful to be back in the House so we can all get down to the action that our constituents are trusting us to accomplish for them.

To all of my fellow MPs – I offer a heartfelt “welcome back”. I am quite sure that you share my sentiments.
I especially want to thank Her Excellency for her eloquent speech.

And I want to thank the Prime Minister for asking me to move the reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Now, as a teacher, I am in the habit of paying particular attention to both the spoken and the written word. But I’m sure I was not the only one who noticed that the Throne Speech was quite succinct compared to precedent.

But of course -- this is an unprecedented time. 

It is now well known that the world economy – and, by extension, Canada’s economy – is facing a time of unprecedented challenge.

The question that we face – and which governments and legislators around the world face– is “what are we going to do about it?”

How will we answer this challenge?

Well, I know how we will not answer the challenge:

This is not a time for words, for empty promises or for sitting idle on the orthodoxies of the past.

And this is certainly not a time for backroom partisan games – particularly as hardly three months have passed since Canadians made clear their wishes about the government they wanted. 

No, this is a time for action – a time for putting real people first.

The Governor General’s remarks cut to the heart of the serious challenge facing all Canadians.

We are caught in a serious global recession. Markets are in turmoil. Jobs are being lost. Pensions are at risk. Individuals and businesses are finding it harder to get credit.

True -- Canada has a stronger foundation and is better prepared to weather this global storm than almost any other country. Yet we are not immune.

These are troubling times for all Canadians.

Brief news flashes or abstract facts and figures re-hashed in ten second sound bytes do not tell the real story.

For my part, having just returned from my riding of Miramichi,  I can tell you that the worry my constituents feel about the jobs they have – and the jobs they are looking for – is palpable. We are a Tourist and resource-rich riding Mr. Speaker – Mining, Forestry and Fishing are ways of life for many, many of my constituents. This is a trying time for Canada’s resource industry.

Job losses are not about statistics – they are about real people – worried about their pensions, worried about their bills, worried about the future.

Uncertainty and turmoil in the markets does not just hurt the rich or affluent -- it hits the savings and pensions of Canadian seniors – those who have work hard and saved diligently for peace of mind in retirement.

I know that seniors in my own riding, many of whom are already struggling with issues like affordable housing, are very concerned about what will happen to their quality of life in this unprecedented time.

Access to credit is not an abstract concept – it is about young families trying to get mortgages or car loans. It is about small businesses trying to obtain the capital they need to expand, stay in business, or create and protect jobs.

Hardworking Canadian families. Seniors. Small business owners.

These are the people who are hurting. These are the people who are worried. And these are the people to whom all of us in this House are responsible.

And in addition to the hurt and the worry, these Canadians share another commonality: 

They have no use for partisan bluster. 

They don’t care whether or not elite academics and special interest groups have bestowed their blessings on backroom political games.
They just want to see that the man or woman to whom they entrusted their vote is working to represent their interests and to deal with these problems.

Problems like the economy.

It is not a lot to ask that politicians actually follow through and search for common ground on this huge challenge that our country is facing today.

Well, Mr. Speaker, we have a window of opportunity to do just that. And for our government’s part, we are reaching out in good faith.

Tomorrow the Minister of Finance will present us with a budget – an action plan for the coming year and beyond.

And this will be our test…
A test for all MPs and all parties…
A test that will clearly demonstrate who is prepared to put the national interest ahead of partisan interest -- and who is not.

Like other Canadians from coast to coast to coast – I am looking forward to hearing the Finance Minister explain our action plan in full detail. But we already know the broad strokes of what to expect.

Our action plan will contain significant new investments:

To stimulate the economy and create jobs.

To take immediate action to build roads, bridges and other critical
Infrastructure that Canadians see and use every day.

And to help protect those hardest hit by the recession.

In short – this will be an unprecedented action plan for an unprecedented time. 

Canadians will be watching Parliamentarians – to see how we react.

Will politicians once again angle for partisan advantage, with the public interest coming a distant second?

Or will MPs work to ensure that the action plan is quickly passed so support goes to those who need it most?

This government has made our intent clear – in words and deeds. We are putting Canada first – and we are inviting all MPs in all other parties to do likewise.

Over the past few months we have conducted an unprecedented consultation with Canadians from coast to coast to coast – a consultation on which my colleague from Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar will elaborate in a moment.

We also reached out for ideas from the other parties. 

We offered – and still offer – the path of consensus. Different parties may not agree on everything, but – especially at a time like this -- Canadians deserve to see their representatives working together for the greater good of the country.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those members of the Opposition who did reach back and offer suggestions and ideas that they felt would be of benefit.
 
I want to thank those members who made a sincere effort to publicly demonstrate – even if they do not particularly love our government – that they do love our country – love it enough to set aside petty partisanship and do what they can to give everyday Canadian families the peace of mind they deserve.

And for those who have not yet publicly demonstrated this big national spirit – I want to say – there is still time.

Yes – the budget has been sent to the printer. But the action that our economy needs will go far beyond any one budget or any one bill. 

The challenges we face are many. And they will not disappear overnight. 

In the last election Canadians gave out government a much stronger mandate – but it was still a minority mandate. They told all MPs to work together. They told us to get things done.


So there is still time for big ideas that span political ideologies and span different regions.

There is still time to present constructive solutions for the future.

There is still time to share concrete ideas on how to ensure individuals and businesses have access to the credit they need.

Time to identify building projects and get shovels in the ground.

Time to help protect jobs today and create jobs for the future.

There is still time to prove that the system works – not just for politicians and special interests – but for everyday Canadian workers, families and businesses.


I ask you to consider this, and to come forward to ensure that we can all succeed together.

Canada is on a strong financial footing today – Canada is prepared to face a global recession because our big national parties – the parties that have formed credible national governments -- both the Conservatives and Liberals alike – were able to make these big national decisions.

This is particularly true on the economy. 

For our part our government reduced corporate, personal and sales taxes – including the GST. This was – and remains – early stimulus.

We acted to provide stability in mortgages and real estate markets, and to ensure essential credit remains available to families and businesses.

We partnered with the provinces to provide targeted support to industries and communities in need. 

And – Mr Speaker we paid down billions on the federal debt – which is precisely the kind of move that allows us to enter a short-term deficit without putting our long-term economic security at risk.

At the same time Mr. Speaker – let me say – in that big national spirit that our country needs – that the Liberal Governments of the 1990s also deserve their share of the credit for laying this foundation. 

Not many of those Liberals are left in the House these days – and I don’t presume to talk for those who are – but my guess is that they took very little pride or pleasure in cutting funding for health, education and other social programs.

But they made the tough choices that they felt were necessary.


Mr. Speaker – this government too – also a big national government – is doing what we think is necessary.

Our government takes no pleasure in running a deficit. As Conservatives that is not normally in our DNA – but we are prepared to do what is necessary – to improve access to credit, stabilize our economy and protect and create jobs.

Tomorrow, my colleague the Minister of Finance will explain our next steps -- additional action that we think is necessary.

Our actions will be targeted. They will inject stimulus into the economy. They will promote long-term growth – and avoid long-term or permanent deficits.

This is the kind of plan Canadians expect.

This is the kind of leadership Canadians voted for.

This is the kind of action Canadians deserve to see.

Mr. Speaker – we are prepared to deliver the plan, the leadership and the action that Canadians need. 

No action plan can satisfy everybody – but I hope that all Canadians will look at our plan – and find items that they can support and they get behind.

And I hope that same sentiment will be reflected in this House.

It is time to put workers and businesses first.

It is time to put the economy first.

It is time to put Canadians first.

It is time to roll up our sleeves. To work together. And to ensure Canada remains an example for the world

Mr. Speaker – to that end – it is my honour to move the following:

To the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean,
Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces,
Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.

May it please your Excellency:

We, Her Majesty’s most loyal and dutiful subjects, the House of Commons of Canada in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious speech with which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.