Mark Adler

[Unions, December 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, yet again the NDP leader is refusing to take a principled stand on what matters most to Canadians. The NDP leader refuses to condemn the Canadian Union of Postal Workers for sending a delegation to an anti-Israel hatefest in Brazil.

What does going on a tropical vacation to spread anti-Zionist propaganda and call for the release of one of the world's most vicious terrorists of our time have to do with the mandate of the CUPW? Shame on the CUPW for having the nerve to send union bosses and cronies to an anti-Israel conference and to expect Canada Post to pay their way. What is even more disgraceful is that NDP leader finds nothing wrong with this.

It is time unions stopped trying to spend Canadians' hard-earned money to spread hate. Unions should return to their roots and focus on improving workers' conditions.

[Public Safety, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, union bosses from CUPW want taxpayers to cover their trip to an anti-Israel conference in Brazil, which advocated the release of Ahmad Sa'adat. Sa'adat heads a banned terrorist group called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Public Safety Canada says this group “took part in some of the boldest terrorist attacks”, hijacking three civilian airliners and using suicide bombers and guerrilla tactics.

Sa'adat is imprisoned right now for 30 years for ordering the assassination of an Israeli minister. Does the government still consider Ahmad Sa'adat's PFLP to be a terrorist organization?

[New Democratic Party of Canada, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, for days the person who claims to speak for the NDP on matters of foreign affairs has refused to answer the simple question of how his party would have voted on last week's unilateral resolution at the United Nations General Assembly. While the member for Ottawa Centre has been dodging important questions on NDP policy, his leader has been tellingly silent.

Canadians want to know, where does the NDP stand, and who is in charge of its foreign policy? Is it the wishy-washy critic from Ottawa Centre, or the deputy leader, who in the past has denied Israel's right to exist?

It is indeed disturbing that the official opposition cannot answer basic policy questions, such as whether it believes Israel has a right to exist, and at a time when the NDP's big union bosses are down in Rio, participating in a radical hate-filled conference.

When will the leader of the NDP be clear with Canadians on where his party stands on this most recent unilateral action?

[Raoul Wallenberg, November 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to mark the opening of the Raoul Wallenberg exhibit, called “To me there's no other choice”, at the Canadian War Museum here in Ottawa.

A Swedish diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg risked his life to save 100,000 Hungarian Jews from death during the Holocaust. It was a selfless act for a greater good during one of history's darkest periods.

This exhibit will offer Canadians the chance to learn more about Raoul Wallenberg and his legacy in standing up for our fellow men and women against the horrific evils of anti-Semitism.

Raoul Wallenberg was the first Canadian to receive honorary citizenship in 1985. Last month, our Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism was on hand with members of Mr. Wallenberg's family at the naming of the Raoul Wallenberg Room at Canada's embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.

Our government is committed to continuing his legacy of standing up for the natural rights and freedoms of all, and rejecting hatred and prejudice.

I ask that my colleagues join me in welcoming this important exhibit to our nation's capital.

[Holocaust Education Week, November 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today regarding Holocaust Education Week, which runs this year from November 1 until November 8 in the greater Toronto area. It is one of the largest educational forums of its kind on the Holocaust. I ask that my hon. colleagues join me in acknowledging the efforts of the organizers and supporters of Holocaust Education Week for their important work.

Jan Deboutte, the Belgian chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research, is in Ottawa today.

In 2013, Canada will proudly assume the position of chair of the ITF. Last year we hosted the Interparliamentary Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism in Ottawa, which led to the signing of the historic Ottawa Protocol, a new set of international commitments to fight anti-Semitism.

Our government has been unwavering in fighting anti-Semitism at home and abroad. I encourage all Canadians to learn more about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism so that we can help fight it around the world.

[New Democratic Party of Canada, November 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in case the opposition members are still puzzled, I want to explain to them exactly what job growth and long-term prosperity looks like. Under the leadership of this government, this Prime Minister and this Minister of Finance, Canada has been ranked the best place for business to grow and create jobs.

KPMG has ranked Canada the most tax competitive economy among mature markets, not to mention the 820,000 net new jobs that have been created since July 2009. But the NDP members have it all wrong. They are on record for supporting a $21 billion carbon tax that would cripple job growth, limit prosperity and increase the cost of living for all Canadians.

Thankfully, Canadian voters gave this government a strong mandate to show the opposition the error of its ways. I would recommend that the opposition pay attention as we continue to lead by example creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for all Canadians.

[Job and Growth Act, 2012, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member so that I finally receive a sensible question.

It is passing strange that the NDP members can claim to be fighting on behalf of workers when in fact they are fighting on behalf of union bosses. A bridge crossing the Detroit River to expand trade between Canada and our largest trading partner, the United States of America, is so needed. That piece of infrastructure is going to create jobs in and of itself, but notwithstanding that, the jobs are going to be created by the increased trade that is so necessary between our two countries.

This government is on the right track. We have a plan and we are on a course for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. We are going to implement that plan notwithstanding what the NDP says.

[Job and Growth Act, 2012, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the $21 billion carbon tax the NDP is advocating will increase the price of groceries, consumer goods, housing, fuel and, yes, it will increase the cost of candy that we buy for our children on Halloween. That, my friends, is unacceptable and the NDP members should be ashamed of themselves for declaring war on the children of this country.

[Job and Growth Act, 2012, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I know that the member is a very hard-working member of Parliament, but I am really confused. I am reminded of the show Dragnet, where Sergeant Friday would walk into an investigative scene and would say, “Ma'am, just the facts”. Let us look at the facts.

We have the best job creation record of any G8 country. By lowering our corporate tax rate to 15%, we have increased corporate tax revenues in this country. Every economic indicator is up. Every single international organization around the world is saying that Canada is the best place to be doing business, not just us. We do not control what the OECD says, we do not control what the World Economic Forum says, we do not control what Forbes magazine says.

It seems like we are on the right track. Opposition members are on a track to nowhere.

[Job and Growth Act, 2012, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House, through our economic action plan, are committed to what matters most to Canadians. That is jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. We on this side of the House recognize our obligation to leave a legacy not only for the current generation but also future generations of Canadians and, therefore, that we need an economy that is sustainable and always in a position for growth. We want young people to be excited about the prospect of getting their first paycheque, or the challenge of starting a new business. This is something that we on this side of the House are fully aware of and committed to.

The budget itself is a plan, a road map. We began that plan back in 2006. Through the economic action plan we have created 825,000 new jobs since July of 2009. We have been recognized by leading economic organizations around the world, from the World Economic Forum to the Economist Intelligence Unit, to the OECD and the IMF, as having the strongest economy of the G7 countries. We have the best job growth, the strongest financial sector and the best banking system. That is by no coincidence. It is from making the right choices. We on this side of the House have made those right choices. We have the best Minister of Finance in the world making those choices.

The budget is based on a number of pillars. The first pillar is job growth. As I indicated earlier, we have a plan in place that has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs. It is the best job growth record in the G8. By doing so, we have created more taxpayers, more communities and a better quality of life for our citizens. That is important.

It is important at the end of the day that people have the dignity and self-respect of a job, from which they can go home and spend quality time and engage with their families. They can only do so with the dignity of having a job. We have been on the forefront through our policies of creating those economic conditions through lower taxes and putting more money into the pockets of ordinary Canadians. They know how to spend their money better than government does and they make the right spending decisions. Through a lower tax system we have been able to accomplish those goals.

The second pillar is trade. We on this side of the House believe in free trade. I know the official opposition has been against every single free trade agreement we have proposed, and not only our agreements, but even going further back. It was against the free trade agreement between Canada and the U.S. It was against NAFTA. All of those agreements have since been proven to be beneficial to our country, creating jobs, investment and economic prosperity. Nevertheless, the opposition has said it is against complete free trade.

It reminds me of when I was in high school learning about American history in the Depression era, when Americans set up trade barriers around its country through the Smoot-Hawley tariff act. That is exactly what the NDP wants to do. It is against trade. We on this side of the House are in favour of trade because trade creates jobs, and so many Canadian jobs depend on trade.

Another pillar is immigration. We are reforming the immigration system and basing it on the kinds of jobs that our labour market will need going forward. We have a labour shortage in the country and will require more skilled labour as we move forward.

Another pillar is innovation. We have created a $400 million venture capital fund so that exciting new entrepreneurs can create new products that can be introduced to the world.

We are on the right track on this side of the House. We are creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. We are not talking about imposing a $21 billion carbon tax that would kill jobs and destroy our economy. That would take us back light years in terms of economic development. With Halloween coming up, it would even add to the cost of candy for our kids. That is what a carbon tax would do. We on this side of the House are firmly against it.

I encourage members on that side of the House to support the economic action plan to create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity in the country.