Taxation  Mr. Speaker, in September the Prime Minister really spoke his mind about small businesses. He said, “We have to know that a large percentage of small businesses are actually just ways for wealthier Canadians to save on their taxes”. I do not know who was in front of him when he said that, but he might have been looking in the mirror, because that is exactly what he did, use small businesses to save on taxes.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, unlike the Prime Minister, the Conservatives do not see SMEs as schemers. We see SMEs as creators of jobs and wealth. This morning, Le Journal de Québec and Le Journal de Montréal reported that the Prime Minister personally owned four companies to save on taxes. That is unbecoming of a prime minister.

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise at this point in our study of the bill, which we will oppose for various reasons. First of all, this bill covers workplaces under federal jurisdiction, which tend to be key sectors for our economy such as railroads, air transportation, ports, and telecommunications.

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Jonquière. The member was elected just a few months ago, and she has already introduced an important bill in the House. I want to congratulate her. I also want to salute the courage of her party, since it is no secret that this is not the first time it has introduced a similar bill.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister and hon. member for Québec, which is next to my riding, Louis-Saint-Laurent. I listened closely to what he had to say. On this side of the House, we have no problem with the government giving money to parents. That is what we did, especially with the UCCB.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, first, allow me to express my respect for the dignified conduct of the leader of the second opposition party on Sunday in Edmonton. He is truly an inspiration to everyone in politics. I have had the pleasure of knowing the leader of the second opposition party for years.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government loves to go on and on about its lofty principles, but its actions say quite the opposite. Consider the example of transparency. The governments boasts about being transparent, but meanwhile it is eliminating transparency rules for first nations and labour unions.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the minister forgot some things, because in his budget he inflated the figures, to say the least. With respect to job creation, it says in the budget that 146,000 new jobs will be preserved. The parliamentary budget officer said that is not the case. On the contrary, we are talking about a much smaller number, namely 86,000 jobs.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I will try to be more careful, since I have far too much respect for you. However, the problem is that the government decided to eliminate some tax credits that are extremely important to families. It got rid of the tax credits for arts, fitness, and school supplies.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the minister said something interesting. He just said that their plan will make a real difference for future generations. In fact, future generations will be stuck paying for your poor decisions and your mismanagement of public funds. That is what you are giving future generations.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, living beyond our means and sending the bill to our grandchildren is nothing to be proud of. There is absolutely nothing to be proud of here. If we look at Quebec City, there is nothing to create wealth or jobs, nothing for expanding the National Optics Institute, nothing for the Institut nordique du Québec, and nothing for the Port of Québec.

Presence in Gallery  Mr. Speaker, we all know that things can get pretty heated in question period sometimes. That never happens to me, but some people get excited. To avoid such excesses, it is important for all parliamentarians to have the correct documents in hand. I therefore seek the consent of the House to table the Fiscal Monitor, a Department of Finance publication.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, the only person in the Department of Finance who thinks that there was no surplus is the Minister of Finance himself, not the Conservatives. How can such an honourable man say such things? It makes no sense. Today, the Montreal Economic Institute set the government straight.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, earlier the Minister of Finance said, “here are the facts”. We are the ones who have the real facts. According to the Fiscal Monitor published by the Department of Finance, from April to November 2015, there was a $1-billion budgetary surplus. That fact is straight from the Department of Finance.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his highly informative and well-researched speech regarding the facts, the sequence of events, and especially the sad reality that one of the first things the minister did as minister was put an end to a research and assessment process that was under way.