You bet.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2004, with 74% of the vote.
Constitutional Amendments Act December 12th, 1995
You bet.
Constitutional Amendments Act December 12th, 1995
That is rubbish.
Supply December 5th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the member who spoke about the great amount of jobs that had been created since the Liberal government took over. I beg to differ with him. If jobs have been created, it certainly has not been as a result of the federal government. Any jobs that have been created have been done through the private sector.
When will the government realize that governments do not create jobs? The best thing that governments have been able to create over the last many years is debt. If job creation programs instigated by parliaments were successful, everybody in Canada would have at least two jobs.
The other day I asked the Minister of Human Resources Development about changes in the delivery of the training programs. He said that we really should be transferring resources to the people, to the private sector and to communities. I would certainly like to see that. I applaud the minister for even thinking about transferring training to the private sector. That is a great leap in attitude for the Liberal government. I would like to see that come about.
In the private sector at least the training would be job specific. It would be specific to the marketplace. The marketplace would have some say in what sort of training should take place rather than having training programs that are supported for example under section 25 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, whereby moneys are allocated to very questionable job training prospects. When I ask about those specific projects that take place in our area, because I would like to have some feedback as to what kinds of permanent jobs have been created and how many people have become employed as a result of those projects, I get very little response. As a matter of fact, I am waiting to get some information as to how successful or unsuccessful those programs are.
I believe the Bloc has come up with a good motion. However, I do not believe it is specific to Quebec. We are talking about Canada. Of course the Bloc oftentimes only speaks about the province of Quebec. This is certainly relevant in my province of Alberta, as it is in la belle province. The Bloc would have had our support if the motion had not been strictly specific to Quebec.
The auditor general questioned the effectiveness of this program. This is not simply an idea the Reform Party has come up with or the Bloc has come up with. The auditor general stated in his report: "In studying programs that pumped about $4 billion into regional development over eight years, administrators often just added up the number of jobs the projects they funded were supposed to create and concluded that the programs had created those jobs". That is hardly the way to assess the effectiveness of the program.
There should be more accountability with respect to these programs.
It is noteworthy that there will be a rebate to people who are part-time employees. If they do not earn more than $2,000 their contributions will be refunded. However, the employee's contribution will not be refunded to the employee. That will have the reverse effect of what the Liberal government says will be a job incentive program. Anything that taxes the people who employ people will have a negative effect on the number of people who are employed. We should be doing more to remove payroll taxes. We should not be putting more roadblocks in the way of business, industry, and private enterprise. We should give them more of a break to ensure they become successful.
My dad used to say that when you work for somebody you have to make sure you make them a dollar or they could not possibly afford to pay you. That is something that may have escaped hon. members opposite.
Having looked at this motion, I move, seconded by the hon. member for Yorkton-Melville,
That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after "sector".
Labour Market Training November 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I cannot imagine why the provinces would like to buy into a program like this when the minister is willing to give them the responsibility of the program without giving them proper tax points.
I would like to ask this minister if he knows the difference between downsizing and downloading.
Labour Market Training November 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the fact that training programs should be delivered by the provinces is neither revolutionary nor unreasonable. Along with these responsibilities, is the minister prepared to give the provinces the tax points to go along with these responsibilities?
Veterans November 8th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the week of November 4 to 12 has been set aside to honour those Canadians who fought and those who died in two world wars, in Korea and in peacekeeping missions.
When veterans returned home from Europe 50 years ago they were filled with hope, pride and optimism. They were ready to build a strong Canada. How disappointed these veterans must be today. The country they were willing to give their lives for is $567 billion in debt and is in danger of breaking apart.
If action is not taken immediately to solve the debt crisis, to build a new Canada within a new federalism, to reform health care, the Canada pension plan and unemployment insurance, if we do not put justice back in the justice system and make Canadians feel safe on their streets and in their homes again, the efforts of those valiant Canadians will have been in vain.
The Economy November 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the government's head in the sand approach to running the country must stop. Our debt is $567 billion and Stats Canada reports the October jobless rate increased to 9.4 per cent.
The Pollyannas across the way no doubt have been told: "Don't worry, be happy; the economy is improving". The 65,000 new entrants into the job market will not be happy until they find a job.
The increase would have been even higher if it were not for the spinoff from the resurgence of the U.S. economy. While the Prime Minister and his cabinet were perfecting their do-nothing routine during the referendum, they failed to realize the status quo approach to the economy will bring Canada even closer to financial collapse.
The minister of HRD's orchestrated leaks about new job creation schemes show he is still clinging to the socialist notion that governments can create jobs. History has proven this approach to be an unmitigated failure.
Why does the government not get out of the way so the private sector can create some real jobs?
Treatment Of Municipal Sewage October 19th, 1995
A point of order, Mr. Speaker, I wonder if you could confirm quorum.
Petitions October 19th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my pleasure to present a petition signed by some 120 constituents of Wetaskiwin.
The petitioners pray and request that Parliament not amend the human rights code, the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality, including amending the human rights code to include in the prohibited grounds of discrimination the undefined phrase of sexual orientation.
Manitoba Entertainment Complex Inc. September 28th, 1995
I have a supplementary question, Mr. Speaker, for the same minister.
Was the minister aware at a time prior to the awarding of the $533,000 grant that some of the people in Entertainment Inc. were contributors to his campaign?