Once again Liberal MPs continue to make tired and unfounded claims that the federal government has cut funding to northern Ontario over the last two years. As a former minister for FedNor, and now a member of Prime Minister Harper’s government, I can say that these claims are false.

While the Liberals and the NDP are busy arguing back and forth about who can make the bigger promise, this Conservative government is out there actually delivering results that matter to families and businesses throughout our region.

In his most recent press release, Liberal MP Anthony Rota refers to some promises the former government made about making FedNor’s base budget permanent. Like so many of their promises, however, this one went unfulfilled.

The fact is that, as his very first act as FedNor minister in 2006, Tony Clement secured stable, long-term funding for FedNor by renewing FedNor’s terms and conditions for five years. This is the first time this has ever been done and allows us to make investments in important initiatives such as the Molecular Medicine Research Centre in Thunder Bay. This has been good news for FedNor and shows our commitment to northern Ontario.

On Jan. 23, 2006, Canadians made a clear statement as to what they thought about the Liberals and their record of empty promises. The people of northern Ontario deserve real commitment and support from the federal government. With a Conservative government, that is exactly what is being delivered.

Hon. Joe Comuzzi

MP Thunder Bay–Superior North