William D. Casey, M.P.

Cumberland Colchester Musquodoboit Valley
646-S Centre Block

House of Commons

Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6

House of Commons

Chambre des communes

Canada

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Casey will vote for the Speech from the Throne

October 24, 2007   

Ottawa – Bill Casey, M.P. recently indicated that he would vote against the Throne Speech if his concerns about reversing the amendments to the Atlantic Accords in the 2007 Budget were not met. Casey says that recent comments made by the Honourable Peter MacKay, in the Oct 22nd edition of the Hill Times newspaper, satisfy his concerns.

            “On the Hill last week, Mr. MacKay told reporters that amendments will be introduced to reverse the amendments made to the Atlantic Accord in the 2007 budget. ‘Technical amendments are technical and they require a lot of information and input, but the intention is clearly to have this included in the next Budget Implementation Act’ Mr. MacKay said. ‘That's what we're working towards and that will happen this fall’” (Simon Doyle, The Hill Times)

Casey says that Mr. MacKay’s statements acknowledge the Accords were indeed changed and are clear that the changes will be reversed, and that the legislation to accomplish this will come this fall. 

“These are exactly the changes that I requested, and when I raised these comments in the House last evening during Adjournment Proceedings, there was no absolutely no denial or disagreement with Mr. MacKay’s position from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance”. 

Considering this change of direction by the government, Casey will now vote in favour of the Throne Speech.

            With regard to the items found within the Speech from the Throne that his constituents have told him they can support, Casey made the following statements: 

“There are several items in the Throne Speech that appeal directly to my constituents.  Many people support the new focus on our northern regions.  The Armed Forces Reserve units have always played an important role in this area and to see them get some attention is long past due and welcomed by my constituents. A commitment to improve the lives of our aboriginal populations is also positive and I hope that this turns into tangible progress.  Moreover, the Atlantic Gateway will have a major impact on the entire area as this riding goes from Halifax to the New Brunswick border. Many people in my area are also concerned about weak laws for violent crimes, and want a strengthening of the Youth Justice Act.”

“My constituents and I also have areas of concern with the Throne Speech. We are concerned about the statements in the Throne Speech about “the constitutional jurisdiction of each order of government should be respected”.  This comment as well as other recent media comments leads one to believe that the federal government will attempt to remove itself from funding matters like healthcare and education which come under provincial jurisdiction if one follows the rules to the letter”. 

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