Speaking Points

The Honourable Maxime Bernier
Minister of Industry

Chambre de commerce de Québec

Québec, Quebec
January 18, 2007

Check Against Delivery

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:

I am very pleased to be able to speak to members of the Chambre de commerce de Québec, one of the most prestigious economic forums of this province. I wish to express sincere thanks to your president, Louis Duquet, and your executive vice-president and director general, Alain Kirouac, for allowing me to join you this morning.

This is my first opportunity to speak to the Chambre de commerce as Canada's Minister of Industry. I would first like to commend the outstanding work you are doing in the Québec region. Your members, as well as your organization, are firmly integrated in the region's economy. Your active and dynamic contribution has undoubtedly helped it achieve remarkable economic growth in recent years.

When I give a speech, I usually talk about our government's efforts to improve the competitiveness and prosperity of Canadian industry. But today allow me to use the first anniversary of our government's election to present an assessment of what we have accomplished.

On January 23, 2006, Quebecers and Canadians voted for change and elected a Conservative government to the House of Commons. A little less than a year later, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, our new government is proud to say that it has kept its word. It has carried out its election promises and has delivered real results for the people of Quebec and Canada.

And the results speak for themselves. We have kept the commitments that we made to Canadians in five priority areas:

• restoring Canadians' confidence in the Government of Canada by passing the Federal Accountability Act, which includes the most ambitious measures to promote accountability in Canada's history
• rewarding our workers and helping them advance toward their goals by reducing the GST
• protecting our families and communities by taking stringent measures to deal with firearms, gangs and drugs
• offering parents child-care choices through direct financial assistance and the creation of child-care spaces
• ensuring that Canadians can obtain timely, high-quality health care

Our top priority was to regain the confidence of Quebecers and Canadians in their government.

Our government sought to put in place, as soon as possible, strict measures to reassure Canadians that the abuses of power and public funds that occurred during the sponsorship scandal could never happen again. That scandal did not merely sully what remained of the brand image of the party of Stéphane Dion. It threatened Canada's unity and destroyed our fellow citizens' trust in the governance structure.

Promise kept. We have done what we said. And, as Prime Minister Harper noted in tabling the Federal Accountability Act, "We are creating a new culture of accountability that will change forever the way business is done in Ottawa."

The Act contains the most detailed provisions to combat corruption ever presented by a federal government. It includes measures to protect whistle-blowers who report on corrupt behaviour or fraudulent acts that waste taxpayers' money. It increases the powers of the Auditor General and lessens the influence of major financial supporters of political parties.

We are proud of the steps we have taken to increase the government's transparency and accountability. And I can assure you that our efforts will continue in this direction.

We promised to reduce the taxes of Quebecers and Canadians, and to set up a fairer, more competitive tax system. We have done that.

A cut in the income tax payable by individuals and corporations was a key element of our 2006 budget and of our recent Economic and Fiscal Update.

Budget 2006 not only confirmed our commitment to lower the GST by a percentage point, but it also alleviated the tax burden on Canadians by more than $20 billion over two years. This is more than the entire amount of tax cuts called for in the four previous federal budgets combined.

And in the November Economic and Fiscal Update, Minister of Finance Flaherty committed to lowering the debt by at least $3 billion a year in 2006–07 and in each following fiscal year. Naturally, all Canadians will directly benefit from this measure. Savings on interest achieved by lowering the debt will be returned to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts.

We promised Canadians more choices in child care, more support and child-care spaces. Once again, we kept our promise.

We all know that our children are the future of our country. And when it comes to child care, we know that parents, not governments, are the ones who can make the right choices for their children.

We therefore put in place the Universal Child Care Benefit, which provides $1200 a year to parents to help them balance their careers and child-care responsibilities, according to their own needs and those of their children. Today more than 1.9 million children and their families benefit from this initiative.

In the field of health, our government is working closely with the provinces and territories to reduce wait times for major medical procedures.

There is another promise that we have kept: tackle crime.

Since we took office, our government has tabled no fewer than 11 bills that will help combat crime and prove our clear commitment to dealing effectively with the problem of criminal violence.

What's more, thanks to the work of my colleague, Minister Josée Verner, our government is tuned into the needs of the Greater Québec Area. We have invested in the celebrations marking the 400^th anniversary of the city's founding and in the expansion of Jean-Lesage International Airport.

Our government is respectful of Quebec's uniqueness and the aspirations of our fellow citizens. We have made room for Quebec at UNESCO, and we have devoted considerable diplomatic effort to adoption of the UN convention on cultural diversity. And who could forget that we have recognized without reservation that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada?

In the field of the environment, our government has dispensed with empty rhetoric and meaningless gestures. Rhetoric only gives rise to misconceptions and does nothing to tackle the major environmental challenges that we face today.

Let me set the record straight.

1) Canada has not withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol. Canada has signed the Protocol. We are also one of the relatively few countries that pay their yearly share to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. And we continue to promote awareness among non-signatory states, which are responsible for 70 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.

2) At the same time, there is no doubt that Canada cannot reach the greenhouse-gas reduction objectives set by the previous Liberal government.

In December 1997 in Kyoto, the previous government made a commitment to reducing Canadian emissions of greenhouse gases to 6 percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. In fact, emissions today are 27 percent above 1990 levels.

The commitment was made without undertaking any scientific assessment, and without even consulting industry. In short, the government of the time was simply flying by the seat of its pants! And bear in mind that it is not I who say so. In an interview in the Globe and Mail last August, Stéphane Dion himself admitted that this promise had been approved by Jean Chrétien with the sole aim of embarrassing the Americans.

Further, in her recent report, Johanne Gélinas, Commissioner of the Environment within the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, showed the Liberal government's total lack of preparation and thoroughness in dealing with the Kyoto objectives.

Most of the signatory countries did their homework, but not Canada. So, while the previous government committed Canada to reducing greenhouse gases but had no plan to do this, other countries such as Australia and Iceland committed to curbing increases of their emissions.

Those who are telling us how we should act on the Kyoto Protocol risked Canada's reputation on a roll of the dice. And they lost.

On this issue as on all the others, our government has a different style: we are facing up to reality and we are telling the truth. We decided to commit Canada to concrete actions and measures for combatting greenhouse gases, tackling the problem of climate change and improving our environment.

Last October we tabled Canada's Clean Air Act, setting out our approach for the coming years. This legislation has a broader focus than the Kyoto Protocol.

The bill that we have tabled makes it possible to regulate all industries responsible for polluting emissions, including the oil, automobile, pulp and paper, and chemical industries.

For the first time in the history of our country, our government will move from voluntary compliance to strict enforcement for these industries. They will have to meet compulsory short , medium- and long-term targets. If they fail to meet the targets, they will incur penalties.

For example, it has already been decided that the auto industry must reduce polluting emissions by 5.3 megatonnes by 2010.

Our government accepts the fact that climate change is one of the major environmental challenges. We have therefore earmarked $1.3 billion for the development of public transit. And we have set up a process so that fuels will include 5 percent renewable content as early as 2010.

Never before has a government gone so far in Canada to combat greenhouse gas emissions and smog, and to improve the quality of the environment. We have proved that when it comes to the environment, our vision is clear, focused and precise, and we are determined to do still more. In place of the Liberal government's hollow pronouncements and ineffective gestures, we have taken concrete actions that will have a positive impact on the health of Canadians.

In conclusion, in everything that our government has accomplished in such a short time, it has done while maintaining fiscal responsibility and sound financial management. We have kept government expenditures under control, and we will continue to do so.

We are aware of the desires and aspirations of Quebecers and Canadians, and we will continue to advance, build and innovate. We will ensure that people have the means to take full advantage of the opportunities open to them in this country.

A country where entrepreneurship and work are respected and rewarded.

A country where citizens can walk the streets of their communities without fear.

A country where children get the best possible start in life and have plentiful opportunities to achieve their dreams.

A country that defends the values of freedom, integrity and democracy.

That is the country we want.

Quebecers and Canadians deserve no less. I am proud to be part of a government that has the vision and determination to give them what they deserve — and more.

Thank you for your time.