A few people might have the impression that nothing but partisan politics gets done in Ottawa. The truth is the Government is working hard on behalf of Canadians and undertaking initiatives designed to improve our communities and the lives of our citizens.

Today, I wish to bring to your attention recent government initiatives which I believe are noteworthy.

Making Our Communities More Accessible To All

The Government of Canada has announced the first Call for Proposals under the Enabling Accessibility Fund.

The Enabling Accessibility Fund will invest up to $45 million over three years to help contribute to the cost of community-based projects which improve access for people with physical challenges so that they may participate fully in their communities.

I encourage local groups to identify areas where there is a need to improve accessibility and then apply. Applications can be for major projects like expanding centres that offer programs for individuals with disabilities, or smaller projects like adding interior or exterior ramps. All projects must be accessible to the public.

The first Call for Proposals for the Enabling Accessibility Fund opened on April 1, 2008 and will close April 30, 2008. For more information, visit www.hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca/disability or call my office at 470-5075.

Call for Applications for the New Horizons for Seniors Program

The Government has launched the latest Call for Applications under the New Horizons for Seniors Program for the fiscal year 2008-2009. In total, $19.5 million in funding is available under the Community Participation and Leadership funding component to support local projects by non-profit organizations that encourage seniors to contribute to their communities and improve their social well-being. The Program is accepting applications for funding from now until June 13, 2008.

The Community Participation and Leadership is specifically geared towards projects that encourage seniors to play a central role in communities by helping those in need; providing leadership; and sharing their knowledge and skills with others.

The New Horizons for Seniors Program has funded over 2,600 projects across Canada since 2004, inspiring seniors to bring their leadership, energy and skills to benefit our communities. For more information about the Program, please visit http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/community_partnerships
/seniors/index.shtml or contact my office.

Action on Food and Consumer Safety

On Tuesday, April 8th, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the tabling of legislation to improve the safety of food, consumer and health products in Canada.

The Food and Drugs Act had not been updated since 1953 and the Hazardous Products Act since 1969. The proposed legislation will modernize the Canada Food and Drugs Act and introduce the new Canada Consumer Product Safety Act - both aimed at bringing Canadian laws up to speed with the world.

Last year there was a number of alarming news stories that raised awareness of products for sale in Canada which were not safe. The measures contained in the legislation represent an extraordinarily tough and thorough new approach to consumer safety which aims to prevent such consumer items from being sold in Canada, targeting the highest risks, and responding rapidly to problems that do occur.

The Government will achieve this goal by devoting new resources to enhanced surveillance of products already on the market and will step up the time it takes for manufacturers to report incidents causing illness or injury by introducing a requirement for manufactures to report such incidents within 7 days.

The Government is also enhancing its ability to respond rapidly by introducing the power to recall consumer products, such as toys that contain lead. This power has been in place for food for years and will now apply to consumer products.

And for those irresponsible few who do put consumers at risk, proposed fines will increase from the current maximum of $5,000 to a new maximum of up to $5 million.

Given that 65 per cent of products sold in Canada are imported, we need to set and enforce state-of-the-art safety standards on both domestic and imported goods.

Canadians rightly expect their federal government to police the safety of consumer products and while consumer products sold in Canada are generally safe, we share the concern that they could be safer.

The announcement delivers on a commitment that was made by the Government made in the Speech from the Throne to build consumer confidence and better protect the health and well-being of Canadians.

If you have any questions about these or any other Government initiatives, do not hesitate to contact me at 470-5075 or e-mail me at ron@cannan.ca. My staff and I will be happy to assist you in any way we can.