“It’s all about the Water”- Panel on the future of the Trent-Severn waterway

April 28, 2008

Well Thank you Dean – and it’s a great pleasure to join you here in the great riding of Peterborough.  Minister Baird, fellow members of Parliament, Panel Members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

This is truly a historic and special day for my colleagues and I; for the communities along the Trent Severn and indeed for all Canadians.  I was proud to sponsor the Private Member’s Motion that helped to move this initiative along- but the body of work we are receiving today would not have been possible without the early and continued support of all the members of Parliament with us here today, and especially Minister Baird.

People have lived along and sought their livelihood from this waterway since the first people settled here over 10,000 years ago.  Its rivers and lakes provided passage for the first European’s; missionaries, fur traders, and then settlers- from about 400 years ago.  Fast forward to 1833- when the visionaries and early merchants in the village of Bobcaygeon built the first lock system- to the persistence of the waterway’s leaders to finally complete the last canal in 1920 and you have the makings of this federally owned and operated waterway ( a water resource system really)- that is now home to a multi-billion dollar economy; and several hundred thousand people-across a watershed of some 18,000 square kilometers (about 3 times the size of Prince Edward Island).

It is truly the largest expanse of federal presence in all of the province of Ontario.  And it needed our attention.

That was the subject of this esteemed Panel’s review.

The report is the culmination of the wisdom and experience of its contributors- some  225 submissions across 30 public hearings- who took time out of their summer to share their views on the waterway that means so much to the.  We owe them all a great debt of thanks.

Then the panel of Downey, Symons, Barrett, Bishop, Peter and Rollins- took that body of knowledge- and with the additional research and data available to them- compiled this very thorough and compelling report- for Minister Baird and our government.

I am sure it was a daunting task- considering the volume of information and the often conflicting issues and interests.  I’m sure that others will more properly thank you, the panel, for your work- but may I add my thanks to you all today (and the members of the Secretariat who supported your work)- for those hallmark contribution to the future of the Trent Severn Waterway.

In closing, I’d like to say how proud I am to be in a government that is actually doing and not just saying; acting, not just paying lip-service to the importance of protecting our cultural and environmental heritage. For too many years, the pleas for attention to this system went unheeded, until now.

The early builders and visionaries of this 386 km long waterway left us a legacy-that today, 175 years later, joins us all; in the celebration of our history and culture; in keeping our water healthy and safe; and whether you’re a recreational boater or cottage owner; municipality or commercial enterprise-in realizing the economic and social benefits this waterway provides.

My great, great grandfather and his young family started their first business as newcomers in 1874, piloting a rudimentary steamer on the Lake Couchiching and the Severn River near Orillia.  They, like so many families throughout the history of human habitation along these beautiful lakes and rivers-owed their existence and livelihood to this waterway.

With today’s report, that legacy has the opportunity to take a new and important step forward- so that future generations may learn from and share the heritage those early pioneers vested with us.

I congratulate all who worked for this tremendous achievement, thank you for showing me the way forward for our waterway.  Thank you.  Merci.