Paul Martin fleshes out throne speech in debate Tuesday with more promises
Regina Leader Post - Louise Elliott
Feb 4, 2004
OTTAWA (CP) _ Paul Martin debuted as prime minister in the Commons on Tuesday, fleshing out the throne speech with more promises for cities, students, immigrants, developing countries and young people as he ramped up his unofficial election campaign. He sweetened the pot for revenue-starved municipalities, announcing that they will get a 100 per cent GST rebate retroactive to Feb. 1. The move, valued at $7 billion over 10 years, will cost Ottawa an estimated $100 million this fiscal year, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale said.
Liberals gave Martin standing ovations, with former backbenchers taking centre-stage as ministers as the prime minister expanded on promises outlined Monday in the throne speech.
The Opposition had a different take on the government's agenda.
Interim Conservative leader Grant Hill saw it as a thinly veiled election platform full of promises that may never become reality.
``Canadians remember well another election document, the so-called red book that was written by _ guess who? _ the current prime minister,'' Hill said in the official Tory response.
``They remember his promises (in 1993) to scrap the GST, renegotiate NAFTA and to create an independent ethics counsellor, to name just three.
``Yesterday's speech was a great pile of platitudes and promises that, if the past is any guide, the government has no intention of keeping.''
Hill dismissed the $7 billion in GST rebates for municipalities as a drop in the bucket.
``Canada's infrastructure deficit has reached an alarming $57 billion,'' he said.
Martin, though, had news for students, telling them they will have access to grants for their first year of post-secondary schooling.
And he said low-income families will receive a bond for newborns as an investment toward their education.
``Over time, the government's contribution (to the bond) will be increased as well, as resources permit,'' he said.
He announced a ``Canada Corps'' which would give youth overseas training and work opportunities. He promised to work with the provinces to recognize immigrants quickly for training and education received in other countries.
An announcement that a drive toward a national child-care program will be accelerated was also expected Tuesday, sources said.
The promises didn't stop there as Martin revved up his ``100-days-of-action'' plan _ begun when he took office Dec. 12 and designed to dazzle voters and the opposition before a likely April election call.
Canada will aim to devote five per cent of all federal research and development investment to help the developing world, Martin added, though no timetable was given.
A bill to provide low-cost drugs to fight AIDS in developing countries will be reintroduced and dubbed the ``Jean Chrétien Pledge to Africa Act,'' to honour his predecessor's initiatives in that area. Liberal benches applauded.
Opposition members heckled Martin over his own business interest in Canada Steamship Lines, despite having passed the company's ownership to his sons last summer.
The taunts didn't deter Martin from an unusual decision to stay in the House to listen to opposition response _ and take a question from NDP parliamentary Leader Bill Blaikie.
Blaikie had criticized Martin for leaving much of the two-year-old Romanow report recommendations unfulfilled, and had dismissed Martin's attempt to address the so-called democratic deficit.
Martin told Blaikie he supports Romanow on health and added that he wouldn't take advice on parliamentary reform from unelected NDP Leader Jack Layton, who has tried to enforce views of his caucus on key issues including marijuana.
``It's hard for us to accept in seriousness'' Blaikie's criticism Martin said, ``when his party is governed by a ghostly voice outside Parliament who says, whenever an issue comes up, they're not allowed to have free votes.''
Blaikie thanked Martin for his willingness to debate _ an unusual event during replies to a speech from the throne.
However, he said he hopes Martin doesn't wind up like Ebeneezer Scrooge _ from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol _ learning from a ghost ``what he should have done when he was prime minister.''
