Doug Peters

[Pensions, March 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member said that younger Canadians want to know there is a secure pension plan. This Canada pension plan is that secure pension plan.

What would the Reform Party offer instead? The Reform Party's finance critic said about their own proposals on pension: "I'm kind of reluctant to get into the numbers". Why would he be reluctant to get into the numbers? It is because their numbers do not add up.

Why do they not add up? What would their contribution rate be? Would it be 10 per cent? Would it be 15 per cent? They do not say. How would they honour the commitment to today's seniors, $18 billion a year and growing? Would they honour those commitments?

If they are going to honour those commitments, where would they find the money? Would they simply renege on those commitments? What do they plan for Canadians who have contributed?

[Pensions, March 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, what we have in the CPP now is the best deal for the Canadian people.

Compared with the Reform Party's absolutely ridiculous proposal with rates of return that are absolutely beyond belief, our proposal is a reasonable proposal. It is a proposal backed by the Canadian people and it is backed by the provinces. It is not a proposal that any of the provinces do not want. It is a proposal that the Canadian people want.

[Pensions, March 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, what is wrong is that the Reform Party is wrong about the CPP. We have changed the rules of the CPP.

I have to remind the Reform Party that the CPP is a federal-provincial policy.

It is not just a federal program. To change the CPP requires two-thirds majority of the provinces with two-thirds of the population. We have gone out as a government and got that two-thirds majority. We have the support of the majority of the provinces.

In the Reform Party's proposal for reform, does it have the support of any of the provinces? It has the support of none of the provinces, let alone a two-thirds majority. It does not have the support of any.

We have, also, the support of the Canadian people. The Canadian people want a secure, publicly funded pension program and we have the support of the Canadian people.

[Tobacco Act, March 4th, 1997]

moved:

Motion No. 4

That Bill C-71, in Clause 12, be amended by replacing lines 43 and 44 on page 4 and lines 1 and 2 on page 5 with the following:

"where the device is in a ) a place to which the public does not reasonably have access; or b ) a bar, tavern or beverage room and has a prescribed security mechanism.''

[Tobacco Act, March 4th, 1997]

moved:

That in relation to Bill C-71, an act to regulate the manufacture, sale, labelling and promotion of tobacco products, to make consequential amendments to another act and to repeal certain acts, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration of the report stage of the bill and one sitting day shall be allotted to the third reading stage of the said bill and, fifteen minutes before the expiry of the time provided for government business on the day allotted to the consideration of the report stage and on the day allotted to the third reading stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the stage of the bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.

[Ways And Means, March 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 83(1) I wish to table a notice of ways and means motion to amend the Income Tax Act, the income tax application rules and another act related to the Income Tax Act, and I ask that an order of the day be designated for consideration of the motion.

A message from His Excellence the Governor General transmitting supplementary estimates (B) for the financial year ending March 31, 1997, was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the Speaker of the House.

[Pensions, March 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the answer to that question is their plan will require people to put money into an RRSP.

How many jobs will that kill? It will kill a lot more jobs than the 15 per Canada pension plan. It is a pension plan, an investment plan. They do not understand the difference between a tax and an investment in a pension plan.

[Pensions, March 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party's numbers are usually wrong and they are again in this question. Reformers have not stated how they are going to pay the millions of current seniors or the people over the age of 50 who are dependent on the Canada pension plan for future benefits. How are they going to pay them with their plan?

Their plan will not provide disability or children's benefits. Their plan will not provide a drop-out provision. It will not provide indexation. They will put all the risks in the hands of the workers.

Their pension plan is not the pension plan we have in the Liberal Party. We will support the Canada pension plan and the provinces will support the Canada pension plan.

[Bank Act, February 14th, 1997]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-82, an act to amend certain laws relating to financial institutions.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)

[Excise Tax Act, February 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that our friends over there are not interested in reducing the underground economy. They are not interested in efficiency. They are also not interested in being quiet.

The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council has given a clear indication of how favourable this harmonized sales tax would be. Another quote comes from the Deveau family which owns Acadian Seaplants in Dartmouth. It landed an order from Thailand recently during the Team Canada sales mission. It told the law amendments committee hearing on the BST that its competitors already have a full refundable tax system for business: "What the harmonized sales tax does for us is to level the playing field when we compete with the Europeans, who already have the advantages of a value added tax system. The harmonized sales tax means we have lower costs and that means we can have lower prices, win more contracts and hire more people". That is a quote from the material provided by the Nova Scotia department of finance. It is obvious that the harmonized sales tax will be a strong plus for business in the Atlantic provinces. The Reform Party does not have any members in the Atlantic provinces so it cannot be very interested in business in the Atlantic provinces.

This government is to be commended for putting the harmonized sales tax forward. It will have many advantages for business in Atlantic Canada. It will return the structure of the sales tax system to a proper order so that business in the Atlantic provinces will have a serious advantage in selling their products, not just locally and nationally, but internationally as well. The consumers will also have a serious advantage. They will know the price of the goods they are buying. It will be on the item. That will be what they will pay at the cash register.