Mr. Speaker, I am pleased participate in the debate today and to register my opposition to this bill to harmonize the GST in Atlantic Canada.
I am surprised that we have to register our opposition to this bill because while the bill has been introduced by the government, it had all kinds of opposition to this type of legislation back when it was on this side of the House. I refer to the Commons Debates, page 4554, November 5, 1991, when the member for Willowdale who is now the chairman of the finance committee said: "How can Canadians have faith in this government's ability to lead us into prosperity when the GST, according to all these studies, is working against small business?"
This is from the current chairman of the finance committee who has done a complete and absolute about turn on the legislation currently before us. He opposed it when he was on this side of the House and now be has bought into the entire Liberal agenda and is endorsing and supporting the Minister of Finance in the introduction of this divisive tax which is going to kill jobs.
He was not the only one who did not like the GST. How about on May 10, 1993 Commons Debates page 19170, where the member for Winnipeg North stated: ``The Liberal party, in contrast, is committed to changing and abolishing the GST within 12 months''.
The Liberals won the election in October 1993 and 12 months from that date was October 1994 and by that time we knew that the government had reneged on any promise it had made regarding the GST. Here we are today debating its enhancement rather than its elimination. The member for Winnipeg North said that within 12 months be assured that this Liberal government will get rid of that hated tax which all Canadians would dearly love to see gone.
Even the member for Edmonton Southeast-and it is not often that I go into quotes in Hansard from the member for Edmonton Southeast-on June 7, 1993, page 20483 said: ``It is one of the reasons why we are proud to say we will repeal that tax and ask Canadians how we can best replace the missing revenue''.
We are not talking her about missing revenue. We are talking about adding to the revenue, and that is the ultimate insult.
On it goes. How about the Prime Minister, June 13, 1991, page 1632: "With the GST this government has created an unfair and unacceptable tax". He said that and he endorses the initiative of the Minister of Finance to introduce legislation to bring us the harmonized tax.
The Prime Minister again, page 6046, December 10: "On the GST we have a very clear position. We say that we want to kill the GST". That is from the current Prime Minister, not the prime minister of that day. I quote his words from the Commons Debates .
The member for Halifax, page 6406, Commons Debates , February 4, 1992: ``What I refer to is a general suffering from our goods and services tax''. And what did it do? The government harmonized, increased and took more money.
One final quote from the member for Greenwood: "My leader three weeks ago said that this GST will be scrapped. Make no mistake about it, the GST will be scrapped if we are given the trust to run the Government of Canada". This was said in Hansard on March 12, 1993 page 16902.
Make no mistake about it, they were given the trust to run the Government of Canada and what did they do? They abused the trust. They let Canadians down. They have destroyed the confidence that the people gave to them in October 1993. That is why we have no faith in this country for politicians with those kinds of speeches when in opposition. They said "give us the trust, put us in power, we will deliver". What do we have? A harmonized sales tax for Atlantic Canada and a GST remaining for the rest of Canada.
The GST by the way has been increased for the rest of Canada because it now applies to used goods as well as new goods. Every time a car trades hands the government collects GST on that automobile even though there was a serious commitment by the government that goods would be taxed only once when they were brand new. This Liberal government has expanded the tax to cover everything every time it changes hands.
The Minister of Finance tells us he is not increasing taxes. Hypocrisy from this government that it would say such things.
There are quotes upon quotes. In the Toronto Star dated October 29, 1990, the Liberal government said it will scrap the goods and services tax if it wins the next election. The current Prime Minister said: ``I am opposed to the GST. I have always been opposed to it and I will always be opposed to it''. I could go on forever slamming this government but let us talk about something positive for a change.
We heard the hon. member for Medicine Hat today in question period when he was talking about the Certified General Accountants Association which came out yesterday calling for a tax reduction, which I wholeheartedly endorse and let it be noted for
the record. I happen to be a certified general accountant and therefore I fully endorse the report it issued yesterday.
It said if we drop the UI premiums by 20 per cent that would create about 60,000 jobs. As the member for Medicine Hat said, Reform wants to drop it by 28 per cent which will create even more jobs. That is the commitment by the Reform Party. I assure members that after the next election when Reform trades places with the Liberals we will honour that commitment. Have no fear, we are not mincing our words, we are not saying beautiful things to win elections. We are talking about Reform policies where we say we will deliver.
We have talked about reducing taxes to families. People today on small incomes are struggling to raise their families and before they get that small pay cheque that is made even smaller by this government they have to get by. And yet we find that this government would rather try to tell us about programs that pick up the pieces of broken families rather than focusing on keeping families together.
I have an interesting story. I was going through the airport while heading back to my riding one day. One of the security personnel spotted my badge as a member of the House of Commons. He stopped me to tell me that he does not make a large salary as part of the security personnel at the airport. He has a wife and three children. Yet his family is so important to him that he makes sure that his wife stays home even though they have to do without many things. Yet on his small single salary he makes ends meet even though it is quite difficult.
The current taxation policies by the Liberal government deny him a deduction because he wants to raise his own children by himself and have his wife at home. The parents are denied tax relief because they want to raise their own children. He could send the children next door and have the next door kids come to his house and have his wife look after them and they would each get a tax deduction. But this government's policy is to deny a tax deduction for anyone who wants to raise their own children. What is fair about that?
That is no more fair than the way Canadians have been misled by this government when they were told that the GST will be axed, scrapped and abolished; not harmonized, not increased, not expanded, not to collect more money. That is the deception this government has imposed on the people of Canada.