The Budget May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, this is from the New Democrats, pretending they actually cared what was in the budget when they declared publicly they would vote against it before they even had read it. Members will excuse me if I do not buy into the false sincerity of the New Democrats. They said that they would vote against the budget no matter what.

Canadians know better. They know that this government has delivered for the Canadian economy. They see it in our job numbers. In the month of April, 36,000 new full-time jobs were created and 20,000 new jobs in the manufacturing sector have been created in our country. We are going in the right direction and we are going to continue to because of budget 2013.

The Budget May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud to talk about budget 2013 and all that it contains for Canadians. I know my good friend the chair of the finance committee, the member for Edmonton—Leduc, is one of the finest committee chairs that our country has ever seen.

In budget 2013, we have the manufacturing fund. We have the Canada jobs grant. We lowered taxes on Canadians. We create jobs in every region of the country. Budget 2013 is something that we are proud to celebrate at committee, in the House and across the country. Let us talk about it as much as we can.

Employment May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, this is completely ridiculous. First, the amount of advertising that the Government of Canada was allowed to run was reduced when the Liberals were in power. Second, a review of the figures for the month of April shows that Canada created 36,000 new full-time jobs. We also have 20,000 new manufacturing sector jobs across Canada. These results are for all Canadians, for our young people and for every region of the country.

That is what you get when you elect a Conservative government.

Employment May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, indeed we are investing in young people. That is why, if we look at the jobs, we are not only investing in young people, we have the best job numbers of any country in the G7.

The job numbers today point that out. They point out that Canada has created 36,000 full-time jobs and 20,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector. We are delivering for all Canadians, for young Canadians, for middle-class Canadians in all regions of the country. We are better off because the Conservatives are governing Canada.

Employment May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, it was the Minister of Human Resources who announced this week our plan, a robust plan, to create 36,000 student summer jobs this year.

If the Liberals think government advertising is something the government should cut back on, they should know our government has reduced spending from when the Liberals had government advertising. We are spending less, and because we are spending less, we are creating jobs, not only in the summer but year-long full-time jobs. This year it was reported that 36,000 full-time jobs were created in Canada in the month of April. We are getting results for all Canadians, including young Canadians.

Government Expenditures May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, we do not claim that is what the Auditor General said; that is what the Auditor General said. The Auditor General said, “We didn't see anything in what we were looking at that put any red flags in front of us”. He also said “We didn’t find anything that gave us cause for concern that the money...was used in any way that it should not have been”. That is what the Auditor General said; it is not a claim of what the Auditor General said.

Ethics May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, as we have underscored, senators will have to pay back any amount of money that is found to be in their pockets in an inappropriate manner, today and in the future. We are asking Senator Harb and Senator Brazeau to repay that money.

We have proposed some changes for the future. Conservative senators have proposed 11 substantial amendments to reform how the Senate conducts its business. However, the Liberal Party is standing in the way of those much-needed reforms.

Ethics May 10th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, when this issue first arose, of course we did what we thought was the responsible thing, which was to bring in an outside independent audit of the Senate. That happened. Senator Duffy has repaid the money. We asked that Senator Mac Harb repay the money. Senator Brazeau should repay the money as well.

Right now, today, the only thing that is standing between serious comprehensive reform about the way that the Senate operates with taxpayers' money is the Liberal Party of Canada.

Library and Archives Canada May 7th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, I have said outside this House, and I say it again in this House that spending at Library and Archives Canada must be directed at serving Canadians, not at serving oneself. I will be having that conversation with the head of Library and Archives Canada.