1984-11-06

[Stage Direction]
The House proceeded to the consideration of the speech delivered by Her Excellency the Governor General at the opening of the session.
Mr. Ken James (Sarnia-Lambton):: Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Brian Mulroney, and members of his Cabinet, for affording me the privilege of moving the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. I extend my profound respects to Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada, the Hon. Jeanne Sauve.
I am taking the liberty of speaking for all Members of Parliament in extending to you, Mr. Speaker, our congratulations on your election to the post of Speaker of the House of Commons. We have every confidence in your ability and we know you bring to your position a true sense of dignity, honour and dedication. We wish you much success in this important milestone in your career, and know the residents of Don Valley West feel justification in the confidence they have placed in you since 1979.
To be invited to participate in the opening ceremonies and the opening days of the Thirty-third Parliament, and to be given the opportunity to deliver my maiden speech so early in my political career, is indeed an honour and one which I shall long remember. The constituents of the riding of Sarnia-Lambton can be assured that this honour has been extended not to me but to them because of the Prime Minister's realization of the importance of this region of southwestern Ontario.
Sarnia-Lambton consists of the Village of Point Edward, the Township of Moore, the Township of Sarnia and the City of Sarnia. I ask that each and every resident of this riding share this moment of pride with me.
Sarnia-Lambton is a riding which is tucked away in the extreme southwestern corner of the great Province of Ontario. It is a riding that is as diverse in its peoples as it is in its economic activity. The brochures call it "Bluewater Land". It is situated at the point where the most beautiful of the Great Lakes, Lake Huron, flows into the wide, beautiful and blue St. Clair River. Every week thousands of visitors pour across the Bluewater Bridge from the United States of America to do business, for recreation and for relaxation in this area. Sarnia-Lambton has grown far past its physical size in cosmopolitan stature because of its proximity to our American neighbours. We have dealt with Canada-United States relations since the mid-1800s and we are still thriving, demonstrating the firm bond which exists between Canada and our close friends, our American neighbours.
In contrast to the pleasant parks and clear waters, there also stands in Sarnia one of the largest refining and petrochemical areas in the country, in fact in the world. This is called the "Chemical Valley", a complex stretching for 15 miles or more. Over $6 billion has been invested in oil refining and feedstock to petrochemical production facilities. Over one-third of the country's crude oil is refined in Sarnia-Lambton, and over one-half of the nation's petrochemicals are manufactured in Sarnia-Lambton. Thousands of jobs in other communities across the country, working in what is called the downstream end of the industry, depend on the refined and petrochemical products which are manufactured in the "Chemical Valley". This area plays a large part in the over-all economic future of the country. There are 14 major companies with refineries or petrochemicals plants in the "Chemical Valley" complex.
In terms of employment in the petrochemical industry, 14,600 people are working throughout the country, with 8,300 people working in Sarnia-Lambton alone. The Sarnia-Lambton petrochemical industry employs almost 57 per cent of the total workforce of the petrochemical industry.
Of late there have been problems plaguing the petrochemical industry, problems due to government regulation and policy which have increased taxation on our resources, in turn driving the cost to a point which affects the competitive situation versus the United States gulf coast petrochemical products production. These problems are not exclusive to the industry in Sarnia. The effects are felt by the producers of crude oil and natural gas in our western provinces and by the manufacturers of petrochemicals, both from the oil-based and natural gas feedstocks in all Canadian locations.
Our Government is now negotiating with all sides concerned. One year ago the industry said that this was impos-

November 6, 1984
The Address-Mr. James
sible. Government is now listening to their problems and accepting positive suggestions about how best to deal with these difficulties. Together we are working towards a sensible and equitable solution, and we will reach one!
There is also the pastoral aspect in the constituency of Sarnia-Lambton. Agriculture is the vitality of the region. In the surrounding area of the City of Sarnia, the Village of Point Edward and the urbanized areas of the Townships of Sarnia and Moore, farming and the raising of livestock have been the historical strength. The miles and miles of carefully tended lands radiate from the undustrialized buildup in the "Chemical Valley". Over the years this has demonstrated that there can be a healthy balance between the traditional use of land and the industrialization which is required in today's high technology society, a balance which respects and acknowledges that both sides are victors.
Transportation is the key to the success of Sarnia-Lambton. Situated as it is on the deep navigable St. Clair River which leads into the Great Lakes system, there is a constant flow of marine traffic. Huge ships bound for Thunder Bay, Lake Superior and Sarnia-Lambton, as well as for ports on the American side, plough their way through Lake Huron after passing under the Bluewater Bridge. Sarnia has storage elevators and repair docks to accommodate these lake and oceangoing ships. The international Bluewater Bridge is a major link between United States and Canadian markets. The new Highway 402 connects directly to the Bluewater Bridge. This highway was completed with the combined efforts of private enterprise and government and is considered the best example of Canadian road building. It is a credit to Canadian engineering and construction.
The new Sarnia airport, which I will have the honour of officially opening later this month, will complete the final element in the transportation chain. Sarnia-Lambton is now fully prepared and able to put its efforts, its facilities and its vitality behind the construction of a new Canada.
The peoples of Sarnia-Lambton would be at home in any other Canadian community. All ethnic backgrounds, all creeds and all persuasions are represented in our community. Our residents are representative of "Anytown Canada" and they delivered to this Government the greatest show of trust and support in the history of our area. They believe in what this Progressive Conservative Government stands for. These people believe in our sincerity, our wisdom, our expertise and we cannot let them down!


Some Hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Kenneth Albert James: Mr. Speaker, this Government has been given a responsibility no other Government has ever had. We now have a Government which represents all Canadians, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. This Government has been given the trust of the Province of Quebec, something unseen since the sweep of the late John Diefenbaker's Government in 1958. The onus is now on us to honour this trust and to give it the respect it is due; to take the fragile hopes of this country and bring them back to reality; to examine the situation we
have inherited and make it right. This is not an easy task we have been entrusted with but it is a choice we made prior to September 4. It is our choice and we cannot, and we must not, abrogate our responsibility. This Government has a responsibility to realize the hopes we envisaged some time ago. Despite the obstacles left in our path, we will deliver. We now have the opportunity to deliver to the people of Canada the Government they desire and deserve. Our Government is one that holds true to its promise and works for the people, rather than expecting the people to work for it.
One of the most serious problems facing our country at this time, and perhaps the most urgent on the new Government's list of priorities, is the unemployment situation. As mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, we will be introducing new programs in a three-pronged attack, and we will be asking for the direct involvement of all sectors of our society. We will be asking for public input to reach the most efficient and rewarding end possible. We will be instituting new training programs that will be market-oriented and more in line with the needs of the future. With dedication and forethought the unemployment statistics in this country can and will be reduced as quickly as is humanly possible.
We have made a commitment to the Canadian people to improve our economy. This coming Thursday evening the Minister of Finance (Mr. Wilson) will announce a plan designed to reduce the deficit in an orderly, balanced and fair manner.
As mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, our Government will provide incentives to enhance risk-taking and the entrepreneurial spirit. This will have a positive effect on a cause close to my own heart and interests: the vitality and new growth of small business in Sarnia-Lambton and across Canada.
We have a commitment to justice. It makes me proud to quote from the Speech from the Throne, wherein it is said that our Government accepts the responsibility to rectify the grave effects in our correctional system. Legislation will be introduced to correct the inequities in this system. We have a commitment to international trade, an area in which Sarnia-Lambton is so heavily involved. We have said that we will open new gates and expand our horizons towards better and wider trade agreements with new and established partners. We have a commitment to maintain the updating of the Canadian Armed Forces and the role it plays in international affairs; to strengthen our alliances and world-wide standing by assuming our share of the burden of maintaining peace in the world.
It is not surprising that there was mention made in the Throne Speech to the labour movement in Canada, and how one of our Government's goals is to foster a feeling of trust and shared responsibility with those who represent the workforce of our country. This is an attitude that is integral in the rebuilding process in which we now find ourselves involved. In Sarnia-Lambton there have been few strikes and fewer work stoppages. There always has been a dialogue between labour
November 6, 1984

and management. This is the type of bonding between management and labour we need to see throughout this great country which would strengthen and support the return to prosperity we would all like to see.
First and foremost, Mr. Speaker, we have a firm commitment to the people of Canada to grant a reprieve from the harsh sentence imposed on them in the past. We have a commitment and responsibility to the millions who cast their vote in favour of change, in favour of new and better leadership. Progressive Conservatives have always maintained their honesty, integrity and trustworthiness in a business that has lately been characterized by something less than that. We are not about to change our approach now. We have been delivered a trust and we will not falter.


Some Hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Kenneth Albert James: Mr. Speaker, I believe in Canada. I believe in her people and I believe in her future. Canada is ready and waiting to be guided into greatness. I believe this Government will lead Canada to her full potential. We owe it not only to this generation but to generations to come.
I will close my remarks with a quotation which I think is fitting: "The difference between a politician and a statesman is: A politician thinks of the next election and a statesman thinks of the next generation".
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Montreal-Mercier (Mrs. Jacques), that the following Address be presented to Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To Her Excellency the Right Honourable Jeanne Sauve, a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, upon whom has been conferred the Canadian Forces' Decoration, 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 which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.


Mrs. Carole Jacques (Montreal-Mercier):: Mr. Speaker, first of all, I wish to thank the Right Hon. Prime Minister of Canada (Mr. Mulroney) and his Cabinet for bestowing this privilege on me. It is an honour that I appreciate personally, and it is also one that voters in Montreal-Mercier will remember for many years. It is a mark of confidence that denotes the beginning of a new era: the Government is asking the youngest female Member of the House to second the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Your election, Mr. Speaker, also reflects a vote of confidence from all Members and Ministers toward the new generation. To all my colleagues I wish to reiterate that it was the
The Address-Mrs. Jacques
Right Hon. John Diefenbaker who nominated the first woman in his Cabinet.


Some Hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Carole Jacques: Since then the political role of Canadian women has changed and progressed immensely.

Women have taken an active part in broadening the debate on major national and social issues. I salute the determination and courage of those women who were pioneers in their field. In dealing with the major challenges that await it, this Government will have to take into account women's demands and their economic and social needs, failing which it will take that much longer to achieve our objectives.
At the end of the day on September 4 of this year, the message given by the Canadian people and the voters of Montreal-Mercier was a clear one, namely, a desire to restore and renew this country's national, economic and social equilibrium. We have seen that Canadians are in favour of new ideas and new approaches to major issues. I was very pleased to hear that the Government intends to enhance the role of the individual Member, to rebuild a national consensus based on dialogue and establishing common goals, to seek a genuine national consensus on both economic and social issues, to ensure social justice and finally, to renew and enlarge our international participation.
The role played by Members in their ridings is perhaps better known and more appreciated than the role they play in the House of Commons. People appreciate the importance of Members being available to their constituents. However, Members must also be given a more active part in the business of the House. The Government's plan to review the organization of the House of Commons should be supported by Members since it will afford them new ways of being more active and more involved in the business of the House and supporting the work of Cabinet.
As was said in the Speech from the Throne, the three basic objectives in federal-provincial relations will be to harmonize policies of both levels of government, to ensure respect for their jurisdictions and to end unnecessary and costly duplication, and I am sure everyone will agree that these objectives must form the basis of a renewed relationship. This Government recognizes that the Province of Quebec has a major role to play within the Canadian Confederation.
The Province of Quebec must be a financial partner fully contributing to the economic growth of this nation. The Constitution will not be complete until the Province of Quebec agrees to become fully part of this agreement.

November 6, 1984
The Address-Mrs. Jacques

Quebec's human potential will have to be put at the disposal of Canadians in order to contribute not only to our cultural heritage but also to our economy. In a new Progressive Conservative government, Quebec will be in a position, like the other provinces, to play a constructive role in the progress and prosperity of Canada.

With this new consensus, we must ensure that the economic isolation of certain regions ceases. The Canadian ethnic mosaic must be strengthened in our every day life and the respect of minorities must become part of the Canadian attitude.

As was emphasized in the Speech from the Throne, unemployment is now Canada's most critical national challenge. That social phenomenon is indeed a tragedy for all Canadians. It is imperative that we make every effort to develop and implement effective strategies designed to promote job opportunities and make it possible to prepare new employment programs. I intend to concentrate on that issue along with all my colleagues here.
More specifically, I intend to work towards improving the lot of unemployed youths who are unjustly victimized by the current economic conditions. Over the next few years, we will have to do our utmost to find solutions which will enable young Canadians to take their place on the labour market.
Stopgap measures are no longer good enough. Young people must be able to look forward to lasting and challenging employment. Youth unemployment has been the source of too many disillusions and frustrations. That situation must change. We are morally duty-bound to tackle the issue now so that all young Canadians will regain faith in their country. Canada's future is at stake.
With regard to social justice, one must consider the role of women in Canadian society and their rightful claim to equality for which they have been striving for many years.
Today there is still a wide gap between the principle of equality, which is widely endorsed, and its day-to-day application. It is up to us, women Members of Parliament, to be vigilant and work to ensure that this principle becomes a daily reality.
We shall have to step up our efforts to increase job opportunities for women in the public service and the private sector, and to improve the daycare services offered to working mothers, to name but a few.
Of course, equality between men and women implies economic equality, but it also affects a multitude of other issues that are of daily concern to Canadian women. We must immediately get down to work to meet the legitimate aspirations of Canadian women.
In the coming months, our government will consider important legislative proposals which, if adopted, will improve the quality of life for Canadian women, for instance by repealing the provisions of the Indian Act which discriminate against native women, by bringing about a major reform of the Divorce Act to make it easier for a couple, to go through this often painful stage in their life, by legislating in order to eliminate pornography and television content picturing sexual violence and exploitation, by agreeing to measures designed to increase assistance to the victims of violence within the family, and by implementing, in co-operation with the provincial governments, a national system to facilitate the enforcement of maintenance orders involving Canadian women. As parliamentarians, we must see to it that these aspirations are met. We must ensure that Canadian women can feel not only the dignity and the pride of womanhood, but also that of being full-fledged Canadian citizens.
When we speak about social justice, we also refer to senior citizens. With the assistance of my colleagues, I intend to improve the conditions and quality of life of our seniors. We must allow them to continue to remain independent and to protect their privacy and their freedom while meeting their basic needs. We must ensure them a decent income, adequate housing, appropriate health care and services, and recreational and other activities adapted to their needs. Let us give back to our seniors the dignity, the pride and the joy of being alive.
They are not just great citizens, they are also great builders of this country. They deserve all of our respect and consideration.
There are also our mentally and physically handicapped citizens. Although some progress has been achieved these past few years, we must keep on enhancing their quality of life. They must become independent, full-fledged citizens notwithstanding their physical or mental handicaps. If we can garan-tee them standards conducive to a proud and decent way of living, if we give them the chance to contribute to our society, they will become better Canadians.
I have the privilege of being here in this House because the people in Montreal-Mercier elected me on September 4 to represent them in our Parliament. I would like to say a few words about this constituency where I was born and raised, and where I still have my residence.
Mr. Speaker, my constituency of Montreal-Mercier is located on the easternmost part of Montreal Island, in the Province of Quebec. It is limited to the South by the St. Lawrence River, to the North by the Riviere des Prairies and it extends from Tetreaultville to the West to Pointe-aux-Trembles on the East End of the island; it has an area of some 41 square kilometres.
My riding includes several petroleum plants as well as one petrochemical complex, which defines it as an industrial area,
November 6, 1984

but more particularly, this feature means that the government's energy policies have a major impact back home.
The riding of Montreal-Mercier has a population of nearly 100,000 including some 35 per cent with so-called ethnic backgrounds. Most of my constituents are very hard workers. We all feel like a very large family and share a very strong desire for change. Young and old, we are all concerned and affected by unemployment and other current social problems. But there is hope for the future and we are looking forward to a renewed confidence in our country and ourselves. My constituents have put their trust in the new conservative government to improve their social and economic conditions.
In conclusion, I should like to emphasize that our Prime Minister's honesty, sincerity and conviction have already marked the new government and its members. Unity in this Government will be our strength and all together we will build a new Canada in keeping with the aspirations of the Canadian people and their wishes stated on September 4 last.

In order to fulfil all of those new commitments, we will require the full co-operation of all ten provinces. We are looking for a true change, a new national consensus, and together, as our Prime Minister (Mr. Mulroney) declared last year on October 6, we stand united in the sunlight, ready to work for a better Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to second the motion proposed by the Hon. Member for Sarnia-Lambton (Mr. James) and to
Adjournment
endorse the Speech from the Throne delivered by Her Excellency the Governor General, the Right Honourable Jeanne Sauve.


Some Hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Right Hon. John N. Turner (Leader of the Opposition):: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Windsor West (Mr. Gray), that the debate be now adjourned.


Mr. Speaker:: Agreed?


Some Hon. Members:: Agreed.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.
Hon. Ray Hnatyshyn (Minister of State (Government House Leader)):: Mr. Speaker, I move that this House do now adjourn.


Mr. Speaker:: The House has heard the motion of the Government House Leader (Mr. Hnatyshyn). Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?


Some Hon. Members:: Agreed.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.
Mr. Speaker:: The motion is agreed to. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m. pursuant to Standing Orders.


[Stage Direction]
The House adjourned at 11.37 a.m.
[Stage Direction]
Wednesday, November 7, 1984