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Address by Prime Minister Paul Martin on the occasion of a luncheon hosted by the Laval Chamber of Commerce
May 17, 2004
Montreal, Quebec
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I would like to begin by thanking the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Laval for inviting me to share some thoughts with you today. It’s always nice to return home to Quebec and see so many friends and familiar faces.
Your greeting gives me a warm feeling, and I thank you for that.
It is also a pleasure to spend time in the Laval community. This Chamber of commerce is a dynamic organization, and Laval is a dynamic city. In talking with Mayor Vaillancourt, you quickly realize that all sorts of projects are on the go in Laval… a city that stands apart by its vitality, its development and its ability to prepare for the future.
And it is precisely that – the future – that I want to talk to you about today.
In recent years we have done what needed to be done to take control of our destiny.
The federal debt, which represented 67% of GDP in 1993-1994, has dropped below 45% this year. We are committed to reducing this ratio to 25% within the next ten years.
Eleven years ago our deficit represented nearly 7% of our GDP, while in Germany it was only slightly over 2%. Today, Germany is running a deficit of over 3%. As for us, we’re the only G-8 nation posting a surplus.
Five years ago I put in place a five-year plan to reduce taxes by 100 billion dollars. This year alone, that translates into a reduction of 31 billion dollars! This represents the largest tax cut in Canada’s history!
Obviously, this doesn’t mean we should let our guard down. Servicing the debt remains a priority. We also have more responsibilities in such areas as security, for example, where we have had to invest seven billion dollars in the aftermath of September 11.
Not to mention major investments to deal with unforeseen crises like SARS and mad cow. Still, what we Canadians accomplished together over the past 10 years is remarkable.
Canada’s performance from a fiscal, economic and social standpoint is among the best in the world. From this, two conclusions can be drawn:
First, we’re now in a position to build on our momentum and make tremendous progress by the end of the next decade.And second, it just goes to show what we can do when we set national objectives and achieve a national consensus on how to meet those objectives.
In other words, nothing can stop us when we come together and put our shoulder to the wheel.And that’s something else I want to talk to you about today. We as a government have a very ambitious agenda.
Our priorities, which emphasize sound economic management and keeping a tight lid on spending, are:
- Health
- Knowledge
- Municipalities
- Aboriginal peoples
- and Canada’s place in the world
Health is Canadians’ priority, and ours as well. Our objective is to ensure that everyone, regardless of income or wealth, has access to a first-rate, universal public health system.
This summer, as arranged with the provinces earlier this year, we are going to sit down and hammer out an agreement on the reforms that are needed to improve our system for future generations of Canadians. We’re going to do it because that’s what needs to be done.
At that time, we’re going to introduce a new transfer mechanism in order to provide the provinces with increased and predictable health funding. I said it in January, and I’ll say it again today: I’m making this a formal commitment, because this too needs to be done.
Knowledge. It’s a priority because the future of our economy depends on it. Here in this very region, it is the lifeblood of our economic development. Our leadership in the aerospace, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and in the information and communication technologies, lies in the balance.
That’s why the Canadian government has pumped over 13 billion dollars since 1997 into basic research. Quebec’s universities have answered the call:
Of all Canadian universities, the Université de Montréal has been the biggest recipient of research fellowships this year. The Université de Sherbrooke is number one in Canada when it comes to commercialization of research. Closer to home, the Armand-Frappier campus of the INRS and your bio-technology park have assumed a leadership role in Canada.
What’s important is to continue investing massively in our most precious resource: our knowledge and our talents. It’s the only way to do battle with international competition and emerge victorious.
Canada’s municipalities – large and small.
We can’t talk about our priorities without talking about our cities. It must be acknowledged that for years and years, the municipal governments and Ottawa have maintained a partnership, here in Quebec and elsewhere, with the provinces’ approval.
Mayor Vaillancourt is one of the strongest supporters of an expanded partnership among Ottawa, the provinces and the municipalities.
And he’s right!
No discussion of public housing, immigrant integration, the environment, public safety, mass transit and infrastructure in general would be complete without talking about partnership with the cities. We respect the provinces’ jurisdiction, and have no intention of encroaching upon it. But the issues facing the cities involve all of us.
And we all know that throughout this country, cities no longer have the financial resources they require. That’s why we sprung to action in February of this year. We gave the municipalities a 100 per cent rebate of the GST. As a result, seven billion dollars will be flowing back into their coffers over the next ten years. And that’s just for starters.
We’ve identified the sharing of the gas tax as a predictable source of revenues to help the cities help us offer Canadians a better quality of life. Our goal is an agreement as early as this year with the provinces and the cities on this question.
Aboriginal peoples.
An historic meeting took place a month ago between the First Nations chiefs and 26 Canadian government ministers. We did it because a new beginning is needed in our relations with the fastest growing population in Canada, the Aboriginal peoples.
We are duty-bound to work with them to resolve their health and education problems without further delay. Once again, it is through partnership among all the various parties that we will find solutions with a lasting impact.
And now a few words, if I may, on Canada’s role in the world.
Canada is a middle power, but its ability to influence the future far exceeds what might be expected for a population of its size. Let me give you two examples of the dynamic role I see us playing outside our borders.
In the next 24 hours, 8000 people will die of AIDS and 14000 others will become infected with HIV, destroying families and devastating already fragile countries.
Faced with this scourge, the World Health Organization proposed action on two separate fronts:
The first: Africa must have access to the drugs it needs at prices it can afford.
The second: an emergency program to treat 6 million Africans suffering from the disease.
In both cases, nothing was working until Canada took up the challenge.
As I announced last week in Montreal, Canada is the first country in the world to pass a law that will allow its pharmaceutical manufacturers to export to Africa low-cost drugs to combat HIV and AIDS.
The same week, Canada contributed 100 million dollars to the World Health Organization to help get 3 million people with AIDS into treatment by the end of 2005. This contribution makes us the program’s leading donor.
Just as we did five years ago when we forgave the debt of the least developed countries, Canada is serving as a catalyst and spearheading a revolution in the way rich countries accept their responsibilities, this time toward Africa and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
A second example of the role we can play in the world is Canada’s proposal to establish a new group of countries to complement the G-8. A group that would include China, India, Brazil and South Africa.
A group of countries that would meet as informally as possible in order to advance the yardsticks on some of the most difficult issues facing the world, issues beyond the grasp of the G-8: the environment; cooperation in the fight against terrorism; the widening gap between rich and poor.
I am convinced that a meeting of the leaders of such a group of countries can make a significant contribution by galvanizing our efforts at the multilateral level and giving impetus and a better sense of direction to our international institutions, like the United Nations.
Is this important for Canada? Clearly it is, because this will give us the leverage we need to build a bridge between North and South. All of this is crucial for Canada. Few countries are as open to the world as we are. Our economy depends on global stability.
So those are our priorities as a government.
What I’d like to talk to you about now is a condition essential to achieving these priorities: A condition that clearly emerges from the example I just gave you: the need for a new partnership among the world’s biggest powers. And if partnership is essential at the international level, it is even more so at the national level.
I’m not here to talk about constitutional change. I’m here to talk about a change in attitude.Yes, there are federal jurisdictions. Yes, there are provincial jurisdictions.
And municipal responsibilities. And these must be respected.
But it will be impossible to achieve the objectives that go with our respective priorities if we don’t work together, in partnership, hand in hand. People who talk about federal taxpayers, provincial taxpayers and municipal taxpayers forget that they’re one and the same. The way I see it, the taxpayer mustn’t be made to pay for our inability to get along.
We must transform the relationships among the different levels of government in this country if we are to get down to the task of solving the very real and pressing problems facing us. Our success will not be measured by how confrontational we can be. It will be measured by the degree of cooperation and consultation, and by our ability and willingness to work together in order to resolve the important questions that concern us all.
These values are uppermost in my mind. As a government, we have a very clear vision of our priorities. We also have a very clear vision of consultation, partnership and the search for common solutions. This is as true for areas of federal jurisdiction as it is for those of provincial jurisdiction.
For example, when international questions affect matters that come under provincial jurisdiction, I want the provinces right beside us, as partners, promoting and defending their interests and our interests. Thus, Quebec must not only be seated next to us at the UNESCO table, but it must also be able to have its say when we discuss such things as cultural diversity.
Quebec is the cradle of the French language and culture in North America. It is one of the pillars of the French fact the world over. It must be able to speak out on the major issues that affect it! The door must be wide open to Quebec – no ifs, ands or buts. And it will be!
Another example: Before heading off to Washington a few days ago, I called all the provincial premiers to discuss the issues that concerned them. I asked them to let me know what their priorities were. I was very surprised to learn that this had never happened before.
I can tell you that every point raised by the provinces was brought up either with the President or with members of his administration. And I personally brought up with the President every point raised by Quebec. That’s the kind of attitude change I’m advocating: We have to be bold and open to better serve our fellow citizens.
Listening to the provinces is essential.
I understand Quebec’s frustration with the lack of predictability in health transfers or equalization payments. There are solutions out there, and we’re going to find them.
And it is this open approach that I am advocating for our dealings with Quebec on the issue of parental leave. I tell you, we’re going to work this out. We’re going to work it out because reconciling work and family life is important in today’s world.
We’re going to work it out by finding a just and equitable solution, one that will benefit Quebec’s young families. And it will be a solution that recognizes Quebec’s pioneering role in social affairs.
Sometimes we forget that partnership is the foundation on which Canada was built. What an advantage this has been for our country, an advantage that dates back to its founding, when two founding peoples were brought together in a single political community. Over the years, we have added a rich mosaic of people from every corner of the world.
We have accomplished a major feat, an enormous feat, really, in managing this integration in a spirit of tolerance and respect for diversity. There were certainly difficulties along the way, and mistakes were made, but all in all it has been a remarkable success. It shows that a country is not just a language or culture. It’s the ability to live together and the desire to succeed together.
And that is why I personally would add one more essential condition for achieving our objectives, to go along with partnership among Canada’s governments: to accomplish everything I want to accomplish as Prime Minister, I need Quebec.
I came to live in Quebec 38 years ago. I was moved and excited by this dynamic society that had decided to take charge of its own destiny. This is where I made a life for myself. This is where I raised my children. And my fellow citizens in La Salle-Émard gave me the privilege of representing them in Ottawa. So Quebec is my home!
That is why I need Quebec and Quebeckers more than ever: to walk alongside me on this exciting journey as we build the Canada of tomorrow. Quebec’s involvement in this great project that is Canada has nothing to do with partisan bickering and everything to do with the desire to build, together, a country that is a model for the rest of the world. I need Quebec. I need its creativity, its dynamism and its youth, which are on display everywhere. Our entrepreneurs, people like yourselves, who set off to conquer markets at home and abroad.
From the Mouvement Desjardins to the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs,
from the Caisse de dépôt to the Chantiers d’économie sociale, and from the growing cultural influence of our artists and creators internationally to the major international events that fill up our summers and winters.
Quebec has always been a land of innovation. This has allowed us to achieve greater control over our economic, social and political destiny and to continue helping Canada grow as a nation. Canada needs this Quebec, confident in its unique destiny on the North American continent. This Quebec that allows Canada to shine even brighter on the world stage and to expand our sphere of influence.
That is why we must be careful, in Parliament, not to isolate ourselves in eternal opposition, an opposition that gives our power to others and deprives Quebec of its true political strength within our country.Some pride themselves in asking questions.
What we need are MPs who will give you some answers.
The choices are clear: either we’re content to simply observe, and criticize, or we play a direct role in developing policies and putting in place solutions. What we need is a team of MPs from Quebec who want to participate in managing the affairs of this country, from coast to coast to coast.
What we need are Quebeckers, with their special perspective as representatives of the North American Francophonie, to help explain our debates on the issues of the day, both here and elsewhere in the world.
What we need is a team of Quebeckers who will promote your dreams and aspirations at the national table.
A team who will promote our vision internationally. We are at the beginning of the decade that will set the direction Canada will take for the rest of this century. It is now, not tomorrow, that we must come together.
We must do so to strengthen health care. We must do so to ensure we are the cutting edge of the 21st century economy. We must do so to ensure that when historians look back on this decade they will say that this generation of Canadians was indeed up to the challenge.
We want to offer Quebeckers a government program that is pragmatic, modern, and in keeping with the values, talents and aspirations of our fellow citizens. We need Quebeckers of all origins and from all the regions of Quebec to help build a modern, prosperous Canada that is tolerant and mindful of its responsibilities.
In Ottawa, we need Quebeckers who want to help fashion a contemporary vision of Canada, a place where Quebeckers can see themselves living, prospering and developing.How do we go about doing this?
By seizing an extraordinary opportunity to assume in full the important role that awaits us within the Government of Canada, for the future of Quebec and the future of Canada.
This is the challenge I am issuing you, and this is the challenge we’re going to meet, together!
Thank you.
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