Debates of Nov. 24th, 2011

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

Order, please. We are not even through our second week of a five-week stretch. If we cannot get through this week, I hate to think what next week will be like. Let us have a little bit of order.

The hon. member for Halifax, and I hope she will not make personal comments about other colleagues.

Megan Leslie Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, this is the smiling face of cynicism.

This week I met with European representatives, who told me that because of the government's inaction on climate change, Europe is slamming the door on Canadian energy, which is the same reason that the Americans slammed the door on Keystone. With every door that closes, the minister is killing Canadian jobs.

When will the government clean up its act and actually support real job growth in the Canadian energy sector?

Joe Oliver Minister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, it is one thing to go to foreign countries and work against the interests of Canadian workers and those who are unemployed from coast to coast. It is another thing to insult senior citizens.

In this country we live was on the shoulders of our ancestors. How despicable--

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

Order, please. The hon. member for Burnaby—New Westminster has the floor. We will have a little bit of order.

Jim Flaherty Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, it is the one the NDP voted against on Monday night in the House of Commons. Do they remember that? They refused to support the budget.

They voted against the job creation tax credit for more than half a million small businesses in Canada. That is the part of the economy that generates jobs, the 600,000 net new jobs we have in Canada since the end of the recession.

They voted against the family caregiver tax credit, the children's art tax credit, the volunteer firefighters tax credit, tax relief for the manufacturing sector and making the gas tax fund permanent for infrastructure for municipalities.

That is where the jobs come from. Why does the member keep voting against everything?

Peter Julian Burnaby—New Westminster, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have seen it all. The minister does not know that the government lost 62,000 full-time jobs last month. That is unbelievable. Today we learn that Canadian workers are earning 2% less this year than last year because of the Conservatives' policies. It is very clear that this government could not care less about ordinary families.

When will the Conservatives come up with a plan? When will they take care of real people? When will they do their job, produce and create—

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

The hon. Minister of Finance.

Jim Flaherty Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the NDP bandies about numbers with respect to jobs, so I thought I would seek some authority about their numbers. I went to one of the large unions and the Canadian Labour of Congress's chief economist, Andrew Jackson, said that the Conservatives have the job numbers about right. He said:

[S]ince the worst part of the recession we've created 600,000 jobs. We even have more jobs in Canada than we had at the beginning of the recession.

There is a good authority you should respect.

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

I remind colleagues to address their comments to the chair and not directly at other members. The hon. member for Halifax West.

Geoff Regan Halifax West, NS

Mr. Speaker, fed up with government inaction on the critical issue of worldwide drug shortages, Liberals held a round table this morning with industry, pharmacists, academics and doctors to seek their input on the cause of the problem--

The Speaker Andrew Scheer

Order. The hon. member for Halifax West has the floor.