Layton sets out expectations for Throne Speech

It’s great to be with you today.

I know these are uncertain times in Canada.

And I know many Canadians are worried about their future, about their children’s future.

I know you need leaders who are on your side.

So I want to begin by paying tribute to someone who’s always been on your side:

Howard Hampton.

After twelve years of outstanding service to the Ontario New Democrats, his leadership will be missed.

As a party leader myself, I know the sacrifices we make.

And I know that his wife – and our friend – Shelly Martel, and their children Jonathan and Sarah, will be glad to finally have him back.

The people of Kenora-Rainy River will be glad too, because Howard will keep fighting for them on forestry, justice for First Nations and more.

Please join me in thanking Howard Hampton – a great New Democrat!

Canadians made progress towards change on October 14.

New Democrats won 37 seats – our second largest caucus ever!

And we have you to thank!

The Ontario NDP and Howard Hampton –

Volunteers, party members, and candidates – you got us here.

You pulled out all the stops.

Knocked on the doors, made the calls –

You took our message to the people of Ontario.

And they answered.

We stormed through Northern Ontario – seven out of ten!

And our biggest Ontario caucus ever!

17 Members of Parliament representing every corner of this province –

Thunder Bay to Ottawa Centre, Welland to Sudbury, Algoma to Timmins Bay.

That’s an Ontario caucus that’ll fight for you.

We have the largest percentage of women of any caucus – again.

We made historic breakthroughs in Quebec, Alberta and Newfoundland & Labrador.

Now we need to get the job done for Canadian families.

Canadians didn’t give Mr Harper the majority he wanted – more voted against him than for him.

Mr Harper must respect the will of the people, and work with the other parties to govern in the interests of all Canadians.

Because we face great challenges in this new minority Parliament:

The global credit crisis.

A contracting Canadian economy.

Decimated manufacturing and forestry sectors.

Climate change.

And the urgent need to invest in our future.

The times demand that this minority Parliament work better than the last.

Here in Ontario, harsh economic realities are already hitting home.

Dramatic losses on the stock market – 35% off the TSX since June, that’s $600 billion in value – are the tip of the iceberg.

Premier McGuinty will run a $500 million budget deficit this year.

Ontario is, for the first time, a “have-not” province.

Good-paying jobs in manufacturing and forestry are disappearing – over 250,000 in Ontario alone since 2002.

That’s too many families hurting.

Too many men and women carrying devastating news home –

Now, our forestry and manufacturing sectors can’t get the short-term capital they need to operate, more companies face problems, and more jobs could be lost.

That’s the real impact of financial jargon like liquidity shortages, systemic risk and collateralised debt obligations.  

The real economy is paying the price for the unravelling of an unsustainable mess of debt and credit.

The mess that caused this global financial crisis.

Bank bailouts globally have already cost $582 Canadian dollars for every single person in the world.

The IMF says “the major advanced economies are already in or close to recession.”

Leaders around the world –

Nicolas Sarkozy, Gordon Brown, Barack Obama –

Have declared an end to the era of unfettered free market capitalism.

The truth is clear: markets can bring prosperity, but they can’t do it alone.

We need more effective regulation, stronger oversight and greater transparency – and this regulation must address the global nature of financial transactions.

Canada has an opportunity to take a leading role in remaking the global financial system – our banks have fared better than most.

We should seek a global solution that protects people, not just banks.

And here at home, we need to make banking fairer and more transparent for consumers.

But the financial system must not be our only concern.

We found $582 for every person to spend on bank bailouts, so why not invest in the real economy where it is desperately needed?

In health care, child care and climate change?

Government does not have to choose between crisis management and letting markets run wild.

Now, more than ever, we urge Mr Harper to adopt a more progressive approach – putting families first and productivity ahead of record profits.

Financial wizardry and raw resource exports are not a sound foundation for a strong future.

The problem is we’re getting less effective at producing goods and services

For the first time in half a century, a Canadian Prime Minister has let productivity fall on his watch.

The productivity of our workforce is the true driver of economic growth.

It builds the real economy for working families.

That’s why we need a practical and effective stimulus to the real economy.

We need short-term solutions to minimise the impact of the crisis on Canadian working families.

And long-term strategies to make our economy strong, diverse and sustainable for the 21st century.

That is why I am calling on the Prime Minister to act now.

To engage the hard-working Canadian spirit –

The strength and determination, the spirit of innovation and the courage that has taken us this far, and will take us further still.

And so today, I want to make clear what New Democrats expect from Prime Minister Harper’s Speech from the Throne.

We need immediate action on the economy, pensions, climate change, and democratic reform to make minority government work.

Canada cannot afford to wait.

First, I ask that the Prime Minister cancel the scheduled 2009 corporate tax breaks.

This unconditional tax break will not stimulate the economy and will not mean more jobs.

Mr Harper needs to use that money more effectively.

That’s why our second priority is an economic stimulus package to create jobs.

Jobs can be created in the short-term by energy retro-fitting homes and buildings, expanding wind farms, and investing in public transit.

We need strategic investment in the new energy economy, stronger incentives for research & development and job creation.

We need investment in infrastructure to repair our crumbling roads and bridges, build affordable housing and improve our communications technology backbone.

We need a national training strategy before the skills shortage cripples our economy even more.

So Mr Harper has to get serious about apprenticeships too.

We can equip Canada for the future; create thousands of jobs now and many more in the long-term.

This stimulus needs direct measures to protect good-paying jobs:

Credit guarantees for viable companies as part of a sector-by-sector strategy to help industry through the credit crisis.

No more tax breaks to companies that outsource or ship jobs overseas

And Mr Harper must also reform EI so that workers get the help they need to get back on their feet.

Third, Prime Minister Harper needs to make sure the pensions of hard-working Canadians are safe.

For years, we were told that the path to certain prosperity and security was through RRSPs invested in capital markets.

The collapse of those markets has brutally exposed that falsehood.

$100 billion wiped off RRSPs since March, according to the CLC.

Seniors, who’ve already sacrificed so much for this country, have watched too much of what they worked for disappear.

And with the Canadian Pension Plan to report in February we can expect more bad news.

We expect Mr Harper to put in place effective measures to ensure Canadians can sleep at night, knowing their retirement is safe and secure.

Pension insurance needs to be developed in consultations with business, labour and the provinces and territories.  

Measures must be enacted to ensure fairness and protection for seniors and their RRSPs and RRIFs in this turbulent time.

Regulations to control excess administrative costs need to be put in place.

And workers and their pensions should be at the front of the line when companies go under.

Fourth, Mr Harper must take effective and legitimate steps to fight climate change.

Don’t believe the hype – and whatever Lawrence Cannon says.

Mr Harper has not yet displayed a substantive commitment to fighting climate change.

We want to see him abandon his ineffective intensity-based program.

And adopt a hard-limit, cap and trade plan that makes big polluters pay.

The government must get serious about limiting tar sands development, and cleaning up the air and water so our kids can breathe.

Fifth, we expect to see, and so do Canadians, a democratic reform and a more open, accountable and cooperative minority government.

That means greater Parliamentary decorum and more cooperation with House committees.

The government cannot call every second bill brought to the House a confidence vote. It must be done only when appropriate.

So Mr Harper’s government must listen to the will of the House and respect it as the will of the people. He used to hold that view.

And electoral reform should be undertaken, including the introduction of proportional representation.

For the third time in a row, minority government has been formed with less than 38% of the vote.

The majority of Canadian people keep voting against the governments they get.

On Tuesday night, 52% of Americans wanted change.

They elected Back Obama to be President of the United States.

They chose historic change – and they got it.

62% of the people here wanted change.

They didn’t get it – and that’s just wrong.

The Canadian people deserve better.We can weather this economic storm –

And we can build a better Canada.

Now is the time to make bold changes, to recognise that the 21st century is new and different, that the old ways that worked in the 20th no longer apply.

Mr Harper must present an integrated solution.

One targeted at stimulating the real economy and protecting families, not just shoring up credit markets.

We have a lot of hard work ahead of us.

And we expect Mr Harper to work with all parties to get the job done.

New Democrats will be there to fight for jobs, savings, pensions and homes.

We’ll be the real opposition.

We’ll be fighting for the things that matter to Canadians.

We’ll be fighting for more family doctors.

We’ll be fighting for affordable child care and prescription drugs.

We’ll be fighting for stronger consumer protection.

And we’ll be fighting to turn the Residential Schools apology into real action.

In tough economic times, New Democrats have never lost sight of who makes up the real economy,

Of what needs to be done

Of who we are and who we represent.  

We will weather the storm as we always have – by sticking together and putting working families first.

Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.