Debates of Jan. 27th, 2009

The Economy

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government is the master when it comes to partisan politics.

The Minister of Finance, as well as his parliamentary secretary, is used to dodging these types of questions. When he was at Queen's Park, he hid a $6 billion deficit. It took years to get things back on track.

Today, how can we believe him, and his government, when it comes to the numbers in his budget for fiscal year 2008-09?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask my hon. colleague to remember the fact that Liberals suggest that we have not been dealing with this. It was the fall statement of 2007 that the Prime Minister and the finance minister recognized what was on the horizon. In fact, some in the opposition suggested we were being too cautious.

We put in tax cuts that actually prepared Canadians and this country for the challenges that lay ahead. We work proactively and we encourage the opposition to support what we are going to present this afternoon.

Finance

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec's National Assembly unanimously adopted a motion calling on the federal government to maintain the current equalization formula and opposing the proposed Canada-wide securities commission.

How can the Prime Minister, who recognized the Quebec nation, go against this unanimous motion by going ahead with an equalization ceiling and a single securities commission?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, under this government, the provinces have received much larger equalization payments, and that will continue in the years to come.

As for the securities commission, this government intends to act in accordance with its own constitutional authority and with the willing participation of the provinces.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by capping equalization, the Prime Minister is taking over $1 billion away from Quebec, depriving it of a means of combatting the economic crisis. The Prime Minister prefers to help Ontario and the west, which benefit from the new equalization formula, at Quebec's expense.

How can we have confidence in this Prime Minister, who is going back on his March 19, 2007 commitment to the Premier of Quebec to make, and I quote, “a fundamental return to fiscal balance in Canada”?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, under this government, federal transfers to Quebec have risen to nearly $17 billion, an increase of $5 billion a year since we came to power. And those levels will rise in the future.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the same unanimous resolution, Quebec's National Assembly reiterates its firm opposition to the proposed Canada-wide securities commission. The business community in Quebec also opposes this pet project of the Conservatives.

Why, with yesterday's throne speech, is the Minister of Finance still stubbornly taking this centralist route, which goes against Quebec's interests?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we know from the Hockin report that there is a need for a common securities regulator across this country. Our concern is protecting Canadians' investments. That has to be primary here. We will respect provincial jurisdiction, but we encourage all provinces to get on board and help protect consumers.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is using the financial crisis as a pretext to try to impose a single commission. Businessman Purdy Crawford, who led the restructuring of commercial paper in Canada, stated categorically, “The crisis took everyone by surprise, and a single regulator would not have changed anything.”

Will the minister admit that his only goal is to make Toronto Canada's financial centre, which goes against Quebec's interests?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it came as no surprise to Canadians. We have been talking about this in fact in the House. We have answered questions on this many times. Canadians are calling our offices and asking for some sort of a common securities regulator. We have 13 jurisdictions across this country. When one company wants to invest in Canada, it has to apply 13 times. It only makes sense that we encourage Quebec and all provinces to get on board to help protect our investors.

The Economy

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

The fact is, Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister does not know what to do with this economy because the actions that we need right now run counter to his beliefs. This is the problem.

For the last two months, while he was locking the doors here in Parliament, 100,000 people were thrown out of work. He did not listen to the warnings from members of Parliament, from the forecasters, or even from the people who were losing their jobs. The fact is that he denied that there was a problem altogether.

Could the Prime Minister explain to Canadians now why, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, he denied that there was a problem with the economy for so long?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, let me read a quotation into the record:

MPs should not say how they will vote on a budget or a bill until they see it...we have an economic budget coming...where we announce billions of dollars of spending in deficit...So I think we should at least have a look at it before you say yes or no.

That is wise advice from the NDP member for Sackville—Eastern Shore.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. The hon. member for Toronto—Danforth has the floor.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

The problem, Mr. Speaker, with what the Prime Minister says is that he then does the opposite. That is the problem.

Billions of dollars were announced in an infrastructure program in three consecutive budgets, but if we were to ask the mayors of this country whether they ever received the money, they would tell us they got a big fat zero. The fact is that we cannot have confidence.

The Prime Minister said he was against appointing unelected senators. Yesterday, 18 more were sworn in by the Conservative government.

The Prime Minister is proposing measures now for the economy that he has spent his life fighting. Why should we believe him now?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the hon. member speaks to different mayors than we do. Mayors appreciate that infrastructure spending in this country has been increasing. Obviously, they are looking for further increases and we will be looking to work with them to make sure that happens to sustain this economy.

As for the Senate, I think the only issue for the leader of the NDP is that I got to appoint those senators before he did.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. The hon. member for Toronto—Danforth has the floor.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

When it comes to the Senate, Mr. Speaker, I remember a time when the Prime Minister rose in the House and said that he liked our idea of having a referendum to abolish the Senate.

This Prime Minister has changed his mind too often. He brought in fixed election date legislation, yet he himself called an early election. He announced all sorts of infrastructure projects, but governments did not receive a single penny. He just has to talk to the mayor of Montreal.

How can we have confidence in such a Prime Minister?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the NDP at one time said he would bring forward a motion to the House to debate abolition or potentially some other reforms of the Senate. Of course, that motion never came. I would encourage the leader of the NDP to actually look at our Senate reform legislation before he takes a position and give it his consideration.

Foreign Affairs

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. President Obama has closed the prison in Guantanamo and suspended proceedings against Mr. Khadr.

My question for the minister is simple. Mr. Khadr is a child soldier. Why is Canada not shouldering its responsibilities and bringing Mr. Khadr back to Canada?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Our position on Mr. Khadr remains unchanged. In fact, two previous Liberal governments took the same position. Mr. Khadr has been charged with serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and spying.

We are continuing to monitor the situation and the work of the American committee set up to consider the fate of the detainees in Guantanamo, including Mr. Khadr.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Khadr was recruited at the age of 13. He was arrested at the age of 15. He has been incarcerated for nearly seven years. I wonder how the minister can, in all conscience, not recognize that while the position of the Government of Canada may be unchanged, regardless of the circumstances, the fact remains that the President of the United States, who we will be welcoming here shortly, has in fact carried out a whole series of changes.

When will somebody turn the lights on over on that side of Parliament and recognize that the world is changing around them and that Canada needs to take its responsibility for one of our own citizens?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our position regarding Mr. Khadr remains unchanged. It is exactly the same position as two previous Liberal governments. The problem here is that no charges have been dropped against this individual, on the one hand.

Where there is inconsistency is in the Liberal Party's position. As a matter of fact, the leader of the Liberal Party would want to have this individual come back to Canada; whereas the hon. colleague who has just asked me the question, the member for Toronto Centre, would want to set up a special committee to look at this problem. So, what is the issue? In--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Halifax West.