Setting the right course - Jack Layton - New Democrat Caucus Retreat

Imagine a ship’s captain, setting out from port under clear blue skies.

He checks but doesn’t want to believe forecast.

Some, recently arrived in port, warn of rough seas beyond the horizon.

There’ve been casualties, they report.

But this captain leaves the charts untouched and lets the wind fill the sails.

He knows the way, it’s the same course he’s always taken, and no-one is going to tell him different!

Storm clouds start to build.

The captain hardly notices.

Yet the crew are uneasy, urging the captain to set a new course.

He ignores them, saying only that the skies remain blue, the clouds distant.

But suddenly the clouds race in.

The storm breaks – howling winds tear at the sails, crashing waves swamp the deck.

The captain panics – turning the wheel wildly this way and that, the ship is tossed about on the waves.

The crew tries to take the wheel but the captain refuses, turning the ship deeper into the storm.

Finally, the ship pushed to breaking, the crew determined to take the wheel, and work together, to pull through the storm – all hands on deck, putting aside rank and role to get the job done.

Only then does the captain relent – swears he will examine the charts and come back tomorrow with a new plan.

Can the crew have confidence?

Should they believe he’ll lead them safely through the storm? The hopes and fears of their families in the balance?

We’re in that storm right now, my friends.

And that captain is Stephen Harper – the one who didn’t read the charts, who didn’t see the signs of the rising storm, who refused to set the right course when the storm broke.

Unwilling to act until he was forced.

And claiming now he will do what’s needed to weather the storm.

But how can we trust someone who acts like that?

What, then, is the right course to economic recovery in Canada?

And, once known, how do we set our sails to follow that course?

Before this economic crisis struck, those willing to look saw the storm clouds.

Oil and mining exports drove the resource boom, but manufacturing and forestry were in deep decline.

Corporate profits reached record heights, but more children were living in poverty than ever before.

Productivity – the engine of our prosperity – fell consistently for the first time in fifty years.

Business R&D remained low.

Renewable energy solutions were stifled.

And then the credit crisis struck.

Bay St tumbled – markets lost 40% of their value.

Banks collapsed around the world and governments injected trillions into capital markets.

Mr Harper – our heedless captain – refused to recognise the threat to Canadian families.

“The fundamentals of the Canadian economy are sound,” he said –

Just days after John Deere shut down its profitable Welland plant.

And by the way, John Deere’s workers reached a positive settlement last week – I like to think our shining a light on that injustice helped those workers receive just terms.

Time and time again, I called for a rapid response on the economy.

I called for infrastructure spending – long overdue.

But back in ’07 Mr Flaherty had said, "we're not in the pothole business in the government of Canada".

And so he refused to act.

The need was clear – families were hurting already and I knew we couldn’t wait.

But Mr Harper called those necessary spending programs a “recipe for disaster, nothing more, nothing less.”

Of course, the Canadian people returned another minority, the crisis deepened, recession loomed and governments around the world took bold, decisive action.

But like the panicking ship’s captain, Mr Harper had no clear plan to weather the storm.

There was talk of deficits, then promises of surplus.

There was 25 billion – then 75 billion – to ease credit shortages for banks – but no rules to make sure credit went to firms in need.

Then – the ultimate disconnect from the economic reality of Canadian families.

The Economic & Fiscal Update – with its phoney surpluses, false forecasts, partisan attacks, and public assets fire sale.

None of which would create one job, protect one pension.

Only the sudden threat of losing his own job made Harper act.

Only the united action of the opposition parties forced his hand.

He padlocked Parliament just to buy himself time.

Now the improvised promises are flowing fast and furious.

Of course, Mr Harper is pushing his agenda for deeper tax cuts.

But there are things we never thought we’d hear:

Mr Harper once believed in not assisting the auto sector – now he’s promising billions.

He once believed struggling sectors should look after themselves – now he wants to help forestry.

He once believed building infrastructure was a bad idea – now he’s promising big spending.

He once believed banks should be left alone – now he’s pressuring them to free up credit.

But let me tell you – I know Stephen Harper doesn’t believe in what he’s promising.

And how can you trust someone who doesn’t believe what he says?

How can you believe he’ll truly act?

And act with integrity, sincerity and full commitment to the success of those initiatives?

Because it’s not just saying you’ll spend, but how the spending happens.

Take the Building Canada Fund where funds promised years ago are still held up.

Infrastructure Minister John Baird claims environmental rules are the problem – his solution?

Scrap the rules that protect our waterways, our air, our soil.

But the real hold-up is triple layer approvals and more bureaucratic red tape.

Public private partnership possibilities need to be exhausted first.

But P3s require private capital.

And the shortage of private capital is one of the biggest problems in the economy today.

That’s why the Oneida of the Thames Nation still don’t have funds released for their new long-term care facility –

Even the Ministry of Finance wants to give them money but Conservative rules and delays are holding up funds!

After all this, can Canadians afford the risk of giving Stephen Harper a blank cheque?

Families across this country are already paying for Mr Harper’s failure to act.

More than 100,000 jobs were lost in the last two months – the worst since 1982.

Nortel is filing for bankruptcy, Bell sacked hundreds of middle managers in Halifax, and software developers in Vancouver have been laid off.

More auto parts makers close every week.

Single sector forestry towns in BC, Ontario and Quebec are at breaking point.

A forestry worker in BC was laid off recently.

His EI has now run out, but he can't qualify for social assistance because he would have to sell the truck he needs to find work!

Others, newly thrown out of work, have to wait a month for their first EI cheque, even though they paid in their share for years.

Consumer bankruptcies in October were up 23% on October the year before.

Families are losing their homes and the Bank of Canada says many more foreclosures are still to come.

Pension funds have been devastated.

Retirement savings – often held in stocks and mutual funds – have been decimated.

Too many hard working Canadians can't get the help when they need it most.

Helen’s Delicatessen is a family business, serving healthy meals to the community of St. Catherine’s for more than forty years.

But for the first time anyone can remember, they have to lay-off a valued staff member.

Economic devastation in the community is hitting small business hard – people can’t even afford a simple lunch at their favourite deli anymore.

You can see this recession isn’t just about GM or Chrysler or mills in BC – communities and businesses everywhere are feeling its bite.

That’s why we can’t afford more failed policies, more mistakes, more bad management of the economy.

And so to my second question – what’s the right course? What must we do to ensure our economy recovers?

Our first step must be to protect Canadians and their families.

And so, to those facing lay-offs and shutdowns as firms struggle to find funds, I say we pressure the banks to provide credit and guarantee loans when we have to.

To those already out of work, I say we reform employment insurance, create re-training programs, and help you get back to work.

To those fearing for the future, I say we’ll support your family with better child care and affordable education.

To those seniors who’ve seen their pensions and savings decimated, I say we work to protect pensions and increase income supplements.

To those being left behind, I say that now more than ever, we must break the cycle of poverty.

And to all those speaking out with ideas to help the economy – I’m listening. New Democrats are listening.

Since Mr Harper shutdown Parliament, I’ve travelled across Canada – hearing ordinary folks talk about the economy.

I’ve been to London, to Vancouver, to St John’s and, of course, to my own riding of Toronto-Danforth.

I’ve met with mayors and economists, labour and business leaders.

Each time, I hear good ideas to create jobs or protect families.

Every member of our caucus has heard from their own constituents.

We hear this:

Stimulate the economy with targeted spending in infrastructure, renewable energy and affordable housing.

Because when it comes to creating jobs, spending on infrastructure works much better than tax cuts.

A billion spent on tax cuts creates around 7,000 jobs.

The same spent on infrastructure creates 16,000 – and increases GDP by nearly 2 billion.

That’s why when we’re trying to stimulate the economy, deeper tax cuts aren’t as effective as infrastructure spending.

After years of working on municipal projects, I believe many of our solutions must start locally.

And there are more than one thousand shovel-ready infrastructure projects just waiting for funding.

Those projects will put more than 100,000 Canadians to work in 2009 alone.

And that’s just municipal infrastructure – provincial and federal could create even more jobs.

In addition to infrastructure, we need to build more affordable housing.

It’s the right thing to do – but it makes economic sense too.

Jobs in construction, money into local economies, and children given a better chance in life.

And of course, the new energy economy must be part of the solution –

Creating green jobs now by energy retrofitting homes and buildings and investing in a sustainable economy for a prosperous tomorrow.

I read these words recently, from American green economy activist Van Jones:

“You've got to retrofit literally every building in this country.

“You could put everybody to work with hammers and nails and clean green insulation.

“There is a way out of this recession.

“There's a way to beat global warming.

“There's a way to beat poverty.

“And it's called a Green New Deal.”

Now, I think that’s the right course to set for us, too.

Investing in Canada, in our people and our infrastructure.

And so to the third and final question I posed – How can we set the right course?

Tomorrow in America, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the forty-fourth President and a new age will become.

One of hope, of optimism, with the determination to make bold decisions.

For climate change. A new energy future. A renewed commitment to justice.

Tomorrow in Canada, people will look for hope of their own.

Stephen Harper’s done little to give Canadians that hope.

I have little faith that that will change.

And little trust that his government will keep Canadian families safe, spur recovery, and build a brighter future.

But there is an alternative – a Canadian alternative, modest by comparison to that south of our border.

A coalition alternative, ready and willing to lead with a bold but practical stimulus plan to kick-start the economy, create jobs and protect Canadian families.

A coalition can head Canada towards gentler waters.

But the coalition will only come into being if all opposition parties take the courageous steps to stand up to Stephen Harper – after all he’s done.

And if the Liberals decide to support Mr Harper’s budget they should know this – they will be doing it alone.

Because New Democrats stand by our principles.

We have never forgotten who we are, or who we represent.

Even when the storm rages all around us, we stand strong.

Even when blue skies seem distant, we have hope.

We set a course right and true.

My friends, these are new times, difficult times in Canada.

They demand much of the Canadian people, and the people demand as much of us.

We will need new ideas, new ideas held up by our firm belief that it’s not too late to make a better world.

Tommy Douglas said we needed courage to do that. And he’s right.

It’s been said, too, that one person of courage is a majority.

That with courage we never stand alone.

And so I ask the many women and men of courage in this room and across to Canada to stand together.

Because I believe that together we can set Canada on the right course.

And I believe that if we follow that course, if we stay true to those who need us most, then on the other side of this dark storm we will find brighter skies and calmer waters.

It will take all our courage and all our determination.

But we will succeed.

Avec une seule geste, nous pouvons changer les choses.

Thank you. Merci beaucoup.