OTTAWA- Liberal Leader Bob Rae made the following statement today on the 6th Anniversary of the Conservative government:
“On February 6, 2006, the Harper Conservatives were sworn in as government and since then Canadians have been met with broken promises and disappointment.
As their first order of business, the Harper Conservatives cancelled the landmark national childcare agreement with the provinces and territories. For six years, Canadian families have missed out on thousands of affordable quality childcare spaces.
The Conservatives cancelled the Kelowna Accord, the product of years of consultation between the federal government, Aboriginal peoples and the provinces and territories. For six years, our First Nations have gone without a framework for aboriginal self-government and the $5.1 billion that was promised for its implementation.
The Conservatives abdicated their responsibility on the Health Accord negotiations with the provinces, reneging on the agreement in the 2004 Accord to collaborate with the provinces and territories to expand pharmacare, homecare and health human resources. For six years, no progress has been made in ensuring the future of universal healthcare in Canada.
The Conservatives have undermined our reputation on the world stage by pulling out of the Kyoto Accord, negotiating international agreements in bad faith and losing Canada’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. For six years, we’ve gone from leaders to laggards.
For six years, Canada has seen turbulent economic times and Canadians find themselves in a squeeze that is leaving their incomes either falling or stagnant. But rather than address the needs of Canadian families, the Harper Conservatives have been pursuing their own ideological agenda, even going as far as threatening the future of Old Age Security.
The federal government has a fundamental responsibility to create the conditions in which all Canadians have an opportunity to succeed. That is what the Liberal Party believes and what we will continue to fight for.”
