Mr. Greg Rickford (Kenora, CPC):  
    Mr. Speaker, it may be coincidental or fortuitous that I am following my electoral neighbour, the hon. member for Thunder Bay—Rainy River. I will be splitting my time with the member for Wild Rosetoday.

     I am very pleased to contribute to the debate regarding Canada's 2009 economic action plan. Indeed, this is not just an economic action plan to deal immediately with the global recession. It is a legacy document that will modernize Canada's infrastructure and position our great country to emerge from the global recession stronger than ever before and before other western countries.

    This is not a partisan statement. For example, the International Monetary Fund recognized that Canada was one of the last countries to enter the recession and will be among the first to emerge. The economic action plan sends a strong message that the Conservative government will stick to its core principles and deal appropriately and effectively with the things that Canada needs to get through
this recession. This economic action plan is a modest, manageable plan that will return us to surplus spending within five years.

    I want to take some time to focus on how and why this is not just a good economic plan for Canada but more specifically for
northwestern Ontario and my riding of Kenora. Any action plan put forth had to deal with some very fundamental regional structural defects in the forestry and mining sectors peculiar to northwestern Ontario in order to ensure that the Kenorariding could be competitive in areas of tourism, forestry and mining as we emerge from this global recession.

    I can say unequivocally that by the time I had finished the long form version of the economic plan, I was impressed with how comprehensive and detailed it was in addressing the priorities for the Kenorariding, northwestern Ontario as a whole and other regions throughout Canada that depend on primary resources and the need for diversification for long term economic stability.

    While I am impressed, I am not surprised. After the extensive initial consultations of my constituents, our government went back out on the road and performed more focused round table discussions to identify specific measures the federal government could take to support regions of Canada that rely on primary resource based economies.

    On behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and for the Canadian Wheat Boardand I held round tables in Kenora, Dryden, Thunder Bay, clear across to Sudbury. We met with forestry management and workers of companies like Domtar, Kenora Forest Products and a number of other mining and forestry sector people, including first nations stakeholders, in an unprecedented pre-economic action plan consultation.

    This economic action plan has addressed, in a very technical, pragmatic and responsible way, not only how to deal with this global recession, but how to modernize our infrastructure and put the communities like the ones in my riding in the best position to diversify our regional economy and participate in a leaner, greener forestry and mining sector.

    This economic action plan takes immediate steps to invest almost $12 billion over two years in an infrastructure stimulus fund. This is key for northwestern Ontario, as we will see the twinning of parts of Highway 11 and 17, specifically from Clearwater Bay just outside of Kenora, to the Manitoba border. The twinning of this particular section of the highway not only provides for safer travel on the Trans-Canada Highway, but will also go a long way to fortify the vital transportation link between western and eastern Canada.

    Emphasis focused on waste water and sewer treatment plants and shovel-ready projects that can start immediately are planned for our riding. We will increase broadband coverage and capacity to help ensure all regions of Canada are technologically on an equal footing. This is great news and critical for northwestern Ontario. Expanding broadband coverage in our region is essential for economic diversification, access to justice, training and education, and the delivery of health services, particularly to the more than 25 isolated communities in my riding.

    That is what I have heard from my friends at Keewaytinook Okimakanak who provide broadband services to these communities. I know they are pleased that the government is making a commitment to improve broadband capacity and service throughout Canada.

    I note that there is significant funding as well under the RInK program to improve recreation centres such as ice rinks, pools and community centres, which are all important parts of our small communities' social and health fabric.

    Key drivers of our economy include the production of primary and secondary wood products for things like housing and renovations. This plan provides $7.8 billion to build quality housing and stimulate construction. Social housing, retrofitting, renovating and upgrading first nations homes are key stimuli for the forestry sector. The home renovation tax credit will stimulate this sector and provide an incentive for folks to undertake these renovations.

    Stimulus in the economic action plan is focused on regions like northwestern Ontario. We were the hardest hit by the impact of the global recession. Kenora felt it sooner and harder than most parts of our country.

    I am pleased that this government is investing over $1 billion over the next two years into the community adjustment fund. It keeps the Kenora riding in mind because it is intended to help new forestry products and processes, especially those for the international marketplace. The fund could support initiatives like the Whitefeather Two Feathers forestry initiative that will put the Kenora riding on the leading edge of the value-added industry within the forestry sector. Such an initiative would directly benefit the communities of Red Lake and Dryden and first nation communities such as Eagle Lake, Wabigoon and Pikangikum.

    I have always maintained and continue to focus my energies on ensuring that Kenora riding's economy must be focused on infrastructure and economic diversification that integrates and connects our communities together. We must work synchronously at all levels of government to ensure that we have the right keys and the right instruments for economic prosperity.

    One of the extraordinary features of this economic action plan is the commitment to our first nations communities for training and skills development, housing and ready-to-go projects with priorities being given to schools, water and critical community services such as health and policing.

     These economic plan items were a direct response to the consultation our government made with first nation national leadership, as well as input from the grand chiefs and first nation leaders in my riding. I am pleased to report to this chamber that first nation leaders in my riding and in the riding of Thunder Bay—Rainy River have already voiced their optimism about the attention first nations were given directly and indirectly to this economic action plan.

    With regard to skills training for all northwestern Ontarians, our government's economic action plan is unprecedented. There is a realization that moving forward we need a highly skilled workforce to be successful. That is why we are providing funding for the Canada skills and transition strategy, which includes extra support for Canadians most affected by this recession.

    When I met with local industry in my riding, a key point I heard on more than one occasion was that changes needed to be made to employment insurance. This action plan offers a real response to people's needs by extending maximum benefits to a total of 50 weeks and extending work-sharing arrangements by an additional 14 weeks. This will help companies like Kenora Forest Products and Domtar avoid further layoffs. They expressly asked for this type of help. To that extent, this economic action plan has delivered.

    Other important measures in our plan include increases to the basic personal exemption to 7.5% from 2008, raising the child benefit which will put an extra $436 in parents' pockets, tax savings for seniors, and novel tax-based incentivizing housing renovation, the benefits of which are twofold: they stimulate the purchase of building forest products and provide tax credits for folks who incur this type of expense.

    Finally, special mention should be made for this government's commitment to FedNor, a brand and a program reputed throughout northern Ontario to support our communities in the process of economic diversification and initiatives. The additional funding for the next two years will go a long way to support several projects being planned or considered in communities throughout northern Ontario. This economic action plan should inspire confidence because it deals with some of the key aspects that northwestern Ontario needed to have addressed.

    I want to express my extreme appreciation to my caucus for listening and understanding the kinds of support and measures the federal government could take to help put the Kenora riding on an equal footing with the other regions of Canada. I believe this economic action plan goes a long way to bringing the communities in my riding and across northwestern Ontario, including first nations, much closer to that goal.
 
Hon. John McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood, Lib.):  
    Mr. Speaker, I think that the hon. member glossed over a wonderful opportunity. He is from Kenora. Kenora is an area which at the best of times has difficulties with employment and it is facing unique and specific challenges right now. I would have thought that the member would be a little more upset about the government's approach to employment insurance. This was a wonderful opportunity to actually address that issue, as every economic prognosticator is saying that more and more people are becoming unemployed.

    It appears that the government chose a solution which nobody was asking for, namely to load the rear end of the time available, when in fact pretty well everyone was asking the government to shrink the two-week waiting period. Just because one is unemployed does not mean the bills stop. That two week period was an opportunity missed by the government, or it could have brought in some sort of uniform set of hours across the country, because whether one is unemployed in Kenora, Toronto or Miramichi, one is still unemployed.

    I wonder whether the hon. member has approached the Minister of Financeand asked him why he missed this opportunity. This could have been a time to actually reform EI in a way that is fair not only to the workers in Kenora but to the workers right across the country.

Mr. Greg Rickford:
    Mr. Speaker, I certainly cannot say anything more than what my consultations were with stakeholders both in my riding and other small places like Courtenay, B.C. and Campbell River, B.C. who told us exactly what kinds of employment insurance benefit changes needed to be made.

    It is not my problem that the leader of the member's party had conversations with people in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and as an afterthought in St. John's, Newfoundland, which are all great places. However, I can only bring forward to this House the changes in EI that my constituents and my stakeholders asked for, and these were two of the key changes that they asked for and we delivered.

Mr. John Rafferty (Thunder Bay—Rainy River, NDP):  
    Mr. Speaker, I have a pointed question for the member and I am asking him for his help. I want to preface my remarks by saying that the government believes that northern Ontario begins at about Highway 7 or at the very farthest perhaps Barrie. When the government talks about money for the Trans-Canada Highway I just wonder where it is going to be.

    Let me say that I am very glad to hear that a very dangerous stretch of Highway 17 is being fixed. It is a horrible piece of highway and it is a wonderful thing that it is being twinned.

    I would like to ask the member if he will insist with his caucus and with the ministers that an even more dangerous stretch of highway in northern Ontario be twinned. I am talking about a stretch of about 100 kilometres between Nipigon and Thunder Bay. Will he work with me to make sure that happens?

Mr. Greg Rickford:
    Mr. Speaker, I share the concerns of my colleague for what is one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the country. At the same time I would say it is one of the most vital in terms of its link between eastern and western Canada.

    As my hon. colleague may or may not know, work on this particular file, specifically the twinning of parts of highways 11 and 17 have always included parts in my riding and his. I can assure him that I intend to work within my caucus to ensure that those places along the highway are twinned and that we continue to work with the province of Ontario to make the highway safer and a more effective way of transportation of goods across Canada.

 Mr. Anthony Rota (Nipissing—Timiskaming, Lib.):  
    Mr. Speaker, when I hear of highways 11 and 17 being under construction I start to get excited because I travel on those highways on a regular basis, whether it is from Ottawa to North Bay or North Bay up to New Liskeard and they are the most dangerous stretches of highway around.

    What has been promised by different governments, and I am not going to point out one colour or another, but different governments have said they would put the money on the table but the provinces have to match it or come to the table. This is the Trans-Canada Highway.

    Will the funding be for all the work or will there be a condition that will prevent the work from being done? We have seen where the province does not have all the money and ends up not doing the work or the work does not get done because one of the two partners does not have the money.

    We are seeing it in the infrastructure setup right now and many municipalities are complaining about it.

Mr. Greg Rickford:
    Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that with respect to the twinning of parts of highways 11 and 17, we have worked very well with the Province of Ontario and the Liberal government, particularly with the hon. Minister Gravelle, the minister of northern development and mines.

    I can assure the House that we will continue to work with them. We respect and understand the need to work with all levels of government on infrastructure projects, and provisions are specific and clear in this plan to that end.