Statement

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER AT FRANCO-MANITOBAN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

October 4, 2007
ST. BONIFACE, MANITOBA

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today attended the joint annual general meeting of the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) and the Manitoba Association of Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) and delivered the following statement:

"I am delighted to be here in St. Boniface, the unofficial French-speaking capital of Western Canada.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is one of the fundamental truths of Canada's history: our great country was founded by Francophones.

They created the first capital almost four hundred years ago in Quebec City and, inspired by a pancontinental vision, they founded vibrant French-speaking communities throughout the land.

Well before English and French had the status of Canada's official languages, communities like yours had built the institutions and social networks that would ensure the preservation of the French language and culture.

The Francophone communities here in Manitoba, or in Northern New Brunswick, or in Eastern Ontario or in Northeastern Alberta, are living proof of their success.

Today, thanks to their – and your – determination, we have a country whose bilingualism is recognized the world over as one of Canada's prized and distinctive characteristics.

My dear friends, I've learned to speak French – not fluently, I'll grant you, but I'm working on it – because I recognized long ago that Francophones and the French language are at the very heart of our nation.

You have enriched Canada in countless ways.

And as a country, we are so much better for it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our country, Canada, is more united today than at any point since its centenary 40 years ago.

Little by little we are regaining our rightful place on the world scene, thanks to our renewed military force and a foreign policy vision based on freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law.

And here at home, we are enjoying a period of sustained economic growth, with an unemployment rate at its lowest level in two generations.

But we mustn't rest on our laurels.

We must continue making good decisions if our country is to enjoy continued prosperity over the long term.

Because we want every Canadian man or woman, rural or urban, Francophone or Anglophone, to share in our country's success.

Like a number of our caucus members, I know that for many of you here this evening, farming is how you make your living.

Since we took office, our government has earmarked more than four billion dollars for agriculture to support farmers and their families.

For entrepreneurs, we have introduced tax reforms that will benefit small businesses, and we've invested in the Franco-Manitoban Loan Program, which offers financing to businesses in Manitoba's bilingual communities.

Just recently, Heritage Minister Josée Verner signed an agreement with the province to build a centre that will help meet the training and development needs of the French-speaking communities in the St. Lawrence region.

Let me assure you that our government will always be there to support the efforts of Francophone communities in seeking to preserve their institutions, their language and their culture.

Because we don't take your important contribution for granted.

We prove this by fulfilling our commitment to your communities and by taking concrete action, instead of just sweet-talking you.

We know that a strong country depends on strong communities.

Our country owes its success to honest, hard-working Canadians such as yourselves and the other Francophones throughout the land who contribute to our unique linguistic and cultural identity.

A united country, a respected country, a country that works for all of us.

Thank you, and I hope to see you soon.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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Notice

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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Public events for October 5, 2007

October 4, 2007
Ottawa, Ontario

Public events for Prime Minister Stephen Harper for Friday, October 5th are:

Churchill, Manitoba

9:00 a.m. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make an announcement. He will be joined by Premier of Manitoba, Gary Doer, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, Chuck Strahl, and President of the Treasury Board, Vic Toews.

Churchill Northern Studies Centre
KM 23 Launch Road
P.O. Box 610
Churchill, Manitoba
R0B 0E0

*Open to media*

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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Speech

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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PRIME MINISTER PLEDGES CRACKDOWN ON DRUG CRIMINALS, COMPASSION FOR THEIR VICTIMS

October 4, 2007
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

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Ladies and gentlemen

Good afternoon.

And thank you to the Salvation Army for hosting us today at this facility where you do such good work.

And thank you to the Drug Prevention Network, the Canadian Center for Substance Abuse and all organizations and individuals who have participated in today's event and discussions.

The work you do embodies the spirit of the Samaritan in our modern age.

I'm pleased to see such a broad cross-section of the community here for today's important announcement because all of us – parents, young people, community groups, police – have a big stake in the issue of illicit drugs.

And all of us are part of the solution.

For too long in Canada, governments have been sending mixed messages on drugs.

They have tacked back and forth between prohibition and liberalization so many times that Canadians hardly know what the law says anymore.

It's time to be straight with Canadians, so Canadians who use drugs can get straight.

Because narcotics destroy lives.

They rob young people of their futures.

They tear families apart, make our streets less safe, and lay waste to our communities.

As a father myself, I'm deeply troubled by the statistics on drug abuse in Canada.

Drug use among teens and young people is rising.

More and more young people are being charged in drug related crimes.

And the consequences of rising drug abuse are felt throughout our society.

For example, our health care system spends more than 1.2 billion dollars a year on substance abuse treatment.

And illegal drugs are directly implicated in the deaths of thousands of Canadians.

Rising drug use also fuels rising crime.

The RCMP has reported a dramatic rise in drug-related property crime, identity theft, corruption and murder over the last five years.

The fact is illegal drug production and distribution is a highly lucrative business.

A business ruthlessly exploited by large, powerful criminal organizations.

That fuels their greed by exploiting the addictions of others.

They infiltrate our neighbourhoods, turning suburban homes into grow-ops and crystal meth labs.

And they use their drug profits – estimated in the tens of billions of dollars per year in Canada – to finance a wide range of other criminal enterprises.

Obviously we want to put organized crime out of business.

And tough new anti-drug laws have to be part of the solution.

But interdiction, by itself, is not enough.

Our Government recognizes that we also have to find new ways to prevent people from becoming enslaved by drugs.

And we need new ways to free them from drugs when they get hooked.

That's what the new National Anti-Drug Strategy I'm unveiling today is all about.

Our message is clear: drugs are dangerous and destructive.

If drugs do get hold of you – there's help to get you off them.

And if you sell or produce drugs – you'll pay with jail time.

Our two-track approach will be tough on the dealers and producers of drugs but compassionate for their victims.

In fact, we are committing fully two-thirds of the new funding for our strategy to prevention and treatment.

New initiatives under this two-track approach will include:

A new national awareness campaign targeted at youth and their parents with a strong message discouraging drug use.

New funding for the modernization of current treatment services.

Developing new treatment options and improving their availability and effectiveness.

New funding for the provinces and territories to expand treatment programs for addicted youth.

And new funding for a National Youth Intervention Program, so police can get young drug users more quickly into assessment and treatment programs instead of detention.

But along with prevention and treatment for drug users, we also need to get tough with drug producers and distributors.

That's why the National Anti-Drug Strategy also includes new funding for the investigation and prosecution of drug crime.

Including more resources for identifying and closing down grow-ops and drug manufacturing sites.

We will also increase funding to the Canada Border Services Agency for enforcement measures aimed at keeping imported drugs out of our country.

And, we're ramping up the RCMP's "Proceeds of Crime" Program, which enables the seizure of funds and assets acquired through criminal activities like selling illegal drugs.

Last but not least, our government will introduce tough new legislation regarding punishment for drug producers and sellers.

Currently there are no minimum prison sentences for producing and trafficking dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine.

But these are serious crimes. Those who commit them should do serious time.

So we'll introduce new legislation this fall proposing mandatory prison sentences for people convicted of serious drug offences.

Stockwell Day and Tony Clement will tell you more in a moment about what our new Strategy means for Canadians, but let me just say that I'm very proud of the work our Cabinet has done on this issue.

They have shown tremendous compassion for the victims of drugs, and tremendous determination to catch and punish those who would exploit victims of drug abuse.

Thanks to their efforts, and thanks to the contributions and support of thousands of concerned Canadians like the people gathered here today, Canada will now have a focused and effective National Anti-Drug Strategy.

This approach will be tough on crime and compassionate for victims. We're simply not going to throw in the towel when the health and safety of our communities is at risk.

We have a two-track approach. If you're addicted to drugs, we'll help you. But if you deal drugs, we'll punish you.

Solving Canada's drug problems will require a huge effort.

We won't get clean overnight.

But we will put our country on the road to recovery.

Thank you.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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News Release

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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PRIME MINISTER PLEDGES CRACKDOWN ON DRUG CRIMINALS, COMPASSION FOR THEIR VICTIMS

NEW NATIONAL ANTI-DRUG STRATEGY A TWO-TRACK APPROACH FOR RESULTS

October 4, 2007
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joined by Minister of Health, Tony Clement and Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day, today unveiled Canada's new National Anti-Drug Strategy. The National Anti-Drug Strategy will provide $63.8 million over two years to prevent illegal drug use in young people, treat people who have drug addictions and fight illegal drug crime.

"Our two-track approach will be tough on drug crime and compassionate for victims," said the Prime Minister. "We're simply not going to throw in the towel when the health and safety of our communities is at risk."

The new strategy, which builds on and refocuses current programs, includes a focused public awareness campaign aimed at educating youth on the negative effects of illicit drug use. Studies have shown that a growing number of Canadian youth are becoming involved with drugs at younger and younger ages. Combating their exposure to highly addictive drugs is increasingly a challenge for many communities.

"Tackling the problem of drug use is going to take all of us," said the Prime Minister. "Breaking Canada's drug habit will require a huge effort. But as of today our country is on the road to recovery."

The National Anti-Drug Strategy is a collaborative effort involving the Department of Justice, Public Safety Canada and Health Canada and includes three action plans: preventing illicit drug use; treating those with illicit drug dependencies; and combating the production and distribution of illicit drugs.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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