Debates of Dec. 12th, 1994

Karen Kraft Sloan York—Simcoe, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this House to pay tribute to the Greening of the Hill office. Its extraordinary efforts have been recognized with the Canadian Environmental Achievement Award.

The Greening of the Hill office has proved that environmental initiatives can have economic benefits. The Greening of the Hill office has saved the Canadian taxpayer over $1 million. If we expect business and industry to move toward sustainability then

the Government of Canada must show leadership and put its federal House in order.

Once again, I applaud the efforts of the Greening of the Hill office and encourage it to continue its exceptional work.

Mark Assad Gatineau—La Lièvre, QC

Mr. Speaker, what would you say about a major simplification of our federal and provincial legislation on personal income tax? Instead of continuing to increase the number of deductions, credits and tax breaks, there would be only one universal basic exemption, which would be considerably larger. This exemption would only vary on the basis of the number of children or dependants, age, health and possibly charitable donations.

The result of this operation, taxable income, would be taxed at a considerably lower uniform rate, which would be the same for all taxpayers without exception. This is called a single tax. Its time has come.

Maud Debien Laval East, QC

Mr. Speaker, at the Summit of the Americas held in Miami, the three trade partners currently in NAFTA invited Chile to join. Even though the negotiations will only start in May, preparatory work will begin as early as January. We in the official opposition welcome and applaud this initiative taken by the NAFTA partners.

Besides the above mentioned negotiations, the 34 countries at the Summit of the Americas agreed to begin negotiations on hemisphere-wide free trade with a target date of 2005, and NAFTA will eventually be part of this broader agreement.

Given such openness, we are convinced that Quebec, as one of the most fervent proponents of free trade on the American continent, will be warmly welcome by the trading nations when it becomes sovereign. But for now, on behalf of the official opposition, let me say Bienvenido al Chile.

Randy White Fraser Valley West, BC

Mr. Speaker, rumours abound that the Prime Minister is going to shuffle his cabinet.

I can understand why the heritage minister must change with the CBC problems and the CRTC scandal. I can understand why the health ministry needs a new transfusion because of poor policy and tainted blood. Even the fisheries portfolio needs a change because of east and west coast fisheries boondoggles. When is the change going to come in the immigration department? We have the Schelew affair, José Salinas Mendoza bilking Canadians in a system of injustice, IRB patronage appointments, policy indecisions and a department left in tatters.

Mr. Prime Minister, some friendly advice, change the coach when your immigration team is in last place.

Audrey McLaughlin Yukon, YT

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister entertained the Miami summit of the Americas last week by calling the three NAFTA countries the three amigos. It comes as no surprise to New Democrats that NAFTA should be compared to a farce made in the United States.

If the Prime Minister really thinks that the NAFTA and any future hemispheric trade agreements should be based on friendship, why does he not extend our friendship to those in genuine need of it?

The Prime Minister could have spoken out at the summit against the illegal American embargo against Cuba which continues to devastate Cuban society but he did not. He could urge the Mexican government to address the grave social inequities in Chiapas rather than threaten military reprisals against the dispossessed but he has not. He could put human rights, labour and environmental standards front and centre of Canadian trade policy but he has not.

Social, labour and environmental agreements must be integral to any trade agreement. It is time for Canada to take a leadership role and to ensure that trade is about improving the lives of people more than improving the profits for international capitalists.

George Proud Hillsborough, PE

Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has come under attack from members of the Reform Party as being nothing more than a boondoggle. Nothing could be further from the truth.

ACOA provides valuable support to small business communities in places like Prince Edward Island. If ACOA were not there the unemployment rate in the region would be much higher.

We are not opposed to changing the way the agency operates. Last week the minister responsible for ACOA announced a more co-operative approach in assisting small business. Grants are out and interprovincial teamwork is in.

If you believe this rhetoric, Mr. Speaker, you would think that all ACOA money was flushed down the toilet. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the member of Parliament for Hillsborough, I look forward to the new spirit of regional development in Atlantic Canada. The minister responsible for ACOA knows Atlantic Canada well and he knows that economic growth in Prince Edward Island will help all Canadians.

Elsie Wayne Saint John, NB

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberal government took office strange things have been happening in my riding of Saint John.

The new air traffic control tower that was built two years ago by the PC government was closed by this government and by the Department of Transport this year. The new VIA train station was built last year by the PC government. This government has closed the terminal and is terminating full VIA service on Thursday. As well the government has drastically cut back the hours of the Saint John weather office.

I guess I have a question for the Minister of Transport: Could the Minister of Transport please explain why his cuts have been focused on the largest industrial based city in the province of New Brunswick which has a nuclear power plant, the largest privately owned oil refinery there is in Canada, plus the frigate program and so on? Why has the minister not distributed cuts equally to Fredericton and Moncton, and not just Saint John?

Michel Gauthier Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has warned the Minister of Finance against raising taxes since this would encourage even more Canadians to resort to the underground economy. The Auditor General said that he felt present tax revenues could be improved without raising taxes.

Does the Minister of Finance agree he could improve the government's tax revenues without raising taxes, as suggested by the Auditor General, if he would only concentrate on collecting taxes owed instead of inventing new taxes?

Paul Martin Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec

Mr. Speaker, we realize that every year we can improve further on the way we collect taxes. That is why the Minister of National Revenue has done what he did this year. I can assure you that the harvest, if I may put it that way, has definitely improved. That being said, I am sure that the hon. member-

Paul Martin LaSalle—Émard, QC

Of course, Mr. Speaker.

Perhaps I may also say to the hon. member that I am sure he has no objection to making our tax system much fairer than it is today.

Michel Gauthier Roberval, QC

Certainly, Mr. Speaker. May I remind the Minister of Finance that the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe has for some time reminded him of the need for injecting more fairness into the tax system? Unfortunately the Minister of Finance has always turned a deaf ear, so I am delighted to hear what he said just now.

My supplementary question for the Minister of Finance is this: Would he agree that a tax increase for all taxpayers, as recommended by his colleagues on the finance committee, would merely accelerate the growth of the underground economy, in addition to being a complete reversal of the commitments made by the Prime Minister during the last election campaign?