CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 141 Ï NUMBER 148 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 39th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, May 7, 2007 Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) Also available on the Parliament of Canada Web Site at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 9093 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, May 7, 2007 The House met at 11 a.m. He said: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this House to speak on a issue that is extremely important not only for Canada, but for Canada's international reputation, for our allies—the people who work with us on peacekeeping missions abroad—and for the people Prayers who work for the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Nova Scotia, Ottawa and Montreal. The centre, which has been in existence since 1994, is doing an outstanding job and continuing to evolve. Ï (1105) However, staff never know from one year to the next where the [English] centre's funding will come from or how it will keep on providing good services. PRIVILEGE COMMENTS BY MEMBER FOR WINNIPEG SOUTH CENTRE My motion asks the government to provide ongoing funding for the Pearson Centre so that it has the financial stability necessary to Hon. Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.): Mr. reassure everyone we work with in this area that the centre will Speaker, I would like to take a moment to respond to the question continue to operate in Canada and abroad in the coming years. The of privilege raised by the hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake on motion also aims to guarantee to the people of Nova Scotia and the Thursday, May 3. The member for Selkirk—Interlake alleges that Kespuwick Industrial Park that the Pearson Centre will continue to just prior to the vote on Wednesday, May 2, I crossed the floor and be there, providing jobs and services. The centre is in dire straits at made threatening comments to him and that he felt intimidated. present. Not only is the government refusing to provide ongoing First, I acknowledge crossing the floor on the said day and funding, limiting its commitment to the next three years and approaching the hon. member in order to voice my displeasure with indicating that they will be the final years of funding, but it is also respect to what appeared in a ten percenter sent to my riding. Yes, I refusing to honour past funding agreements for operations in Nova was angry, and yes, I was upset. However, I in no way intended to Scotia. threaten the hon. member and I am sorry to hear that he felt intimidated by my comments. Often, the government refuses to support regional operations, and officials find all sorts of reasons why it is very hard to operate in the My demeanour is not usually interpreted as intimidating, but if regions and preferable to do so in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto or the hon. member felt that I was either threatening or intimidating I Vancouver—and they even find reasons not to operate in Vancouver. apologize to him, as it was certainly not my intention to do either. The government prefers to operate in the major cities in central Canada. I encourage the government and invite the members of this Once again, I apologize to the member. It was not my intention to House to look at this issue and consider what the role of the make him feel overcome with fear. I am sorry if he felt threatened Government of Canada is, if it is not to promote regional and I am sorry if he felt intimidated. development. The Speaker: I thank the hon. member for her important intervention in this matter. I will look at the two interventions now [English] and come back to the House, if necessary, with a decision in respect of this. The situation we now find ourselves in with the Pearson centre is troubling. It is very troubling for our allies, but is also troubling for all the Canadians working in peacekeeping operations and especially the people working In Kespuwick Park in Cornwallis or in Deep PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Brook, Nova Scotia. [Translation] The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre was established in 1994. At that time, we saw the closure of CFB Cornwallis, the major employer in PEARSON PEACEKEEPING CENTRE that area. There was some restructuring within the military. There Hon. Robert Thibault (West Nova, Lib.) moved: were some cutbacks at the federal level because we had a huge That, in the opinion of the House, the government should fully fund the Pearson deficit at the time. For my part of the country, the loss of 700 jobs in Peacekeeping Centre to assure that it continues to operate in Nova Scotia. that area was very difficult. 9094 COMMONS DEBATES May 7, 2007 Private Members' Business A group of volunteers and civic leaders got together and formed Now we learn that the government has withdrawn from that. My the Cornwallis Park Development Agency. They received some motion intends to re-establish that relationship. funding from the federal government through various departments, a lot of it through ACOA but a lot through DND and the external I want to take the House back to Kespuwick Park and what CF affairs department, to see how we could turn the negative story of a Cornwallis Base became. What were the other things that we were base closure into a positive economic story for western Nova Scotia. able to establish there? They include the Annapolis Basin It has been a tremendous success because a lot of players have come Conference Centre, which I mentioned, Camp Acadia, which I together. One of the things the federal government did was create the mentioned, and also the military museum. I was at the museum on Pearson Peacekeeping Centre and establish its operations out of the the weekend for the Battle of the Atlantic ceremonies and the former CFB Greenwood. rededication of the stained glass windows honouring the 24 Canadian vessels lost in the Battle of the Atlantic. Ken Ozmon, president of St. Mary's University at the time, was chairman of the board. A lot of good people went to work there. Ï (1110) They offered courses internationally. They brought together people from the military, non-governmental organizations, policing outfits We also have, of course, the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, and and the Red Cross and things like that and trained them in Discovery Toys, with 80 jobs, manufacturing out of homes and peacekeeping operations. Nationals from many countries were selling internationally. There is also Acadian Seaplants, a local brought there and they looked at how to apply the three Ds principle company but international in perspective, doing high end research of peacekeeping and peacemaking: defence, diplomacy and devel- and development, funded from its own resources but participating in opment. the Atlantic investment partnership program. There is a fibreglass business doing very complex structures and shapes and providing Also, extramural activities were started by the staff of Pearson, many jobs. with organized training sessions in other countries, in over 30 countries and in three languages. Those courses were offered out of There was also Shaw Wood, which unfortunately had to close the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre where training sessions were held. after I believe five years of operation selling solely to the Ikea The first level of funding was supposed to be for five years. Then market, leaving behind a very good facility for which we hope we it was to be self-supporting from the sale of services. That did not can find an entrepreneur to take over where Shaw Wood left off. quite happen, so we had to come in again with some new funding, There is the Convergys Call Centre. I should have checked on the which we did. We refunded the project and the Pearson centre made number of jobs there, but I believe it is over 600, and it is still some changes. It moved the marketing officers at the beginning in looking for employees. There also are quite a few smaller businesses Montreal and Ottawa and established a presence on the campus of and public institutions. Carleton University. The success story is quite good for that park. There are more jobs Then, in the dying days of the last government, we came to an in that park now than there were when the military was operating. agreement in working with the Annapolis Basin Conference Centre, Also, all the residential facilities have been turned into retirement which was established on the base. Its purpose was to use the homes and summer residences, thus adding to the economy. hospitality facilities on the base to create a conference centre whereby it could sell rooms to and organize conference training As well, the federal government, through ACOA, participated in sessions for the general Canadian public and internationals alongside funding the LIFEPLEX Wellness Centre that is operating there now. what the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre was doing. It has very good health facilities, with a swimming pool, running The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre reached a deal, financed by the track, weight rooms, exercise rooms and physio facilities. It is a very federal government through ACOA and DND, and I believe there good project. We funded phase one of it. However, the president of was some funding from the external affairs department, whereby the its board thought he was smarter than the federal government and Annapolis Basin Conference Centre purchased the facilities of the thought he should do both phases before he had the full funding, so Pearson centre and upgraded them and then was to sell the services the municipality had to step in and take over the debt left behind by to the Pearson centre.