Debates of May 4th, 2006

Child Care

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, the facts are that our plans for the universal child care benefit have been endorsed by many in communities right across the country.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has said that the one group that will benefit immensely from this budget is Canadian households with young children. Economically they will rocket ahead, thanks to the government's fulfillment of its promise to provide all families with $100 a month for each child under the age of six.

That is a strong endorsement.

Older Workers

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Bloc Québécois questioned the Prime Minister about the establishment of a program to help older workers. We concluded from his response that he did not understand the question. So, I will put it to him again.

Since the government talks in its budget of the importance of helping older workers, will the Prime Minister confirm that, by the time the House adjourns in June, he will implement an income support program for older workers?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I spoke of a pilot project for seasonal workers.

In the case of older workers, the leader of the Bloc Québécois knows that the budget provides a fund of some $100 million this year for the forestry industry. We are looking at options for a program to help older workers.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that affects only forestry workers. I could mention the textile, clothing, furniture, bicycle and many other sectors. If the Prime Minister was capable of setting up a schedule to resolve the fiscal imbalance in a year, he is surely capable of resolving the problem of older workers in a month.

Will the Prime Minister promise to establish a real program by the end of June to provide income support to older workers? They cannot wait any longer.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister indicated, we do recognize the challenges faced by older workers, particularly in communities that are depending upon single industries. That is why the Prime Minister has committed to making this work.

We are going to be doing a feasibility study. I look forward to the participation of the opposition members in that process.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government's answers are evasive. In the context of globalization, thousands of jobs are lost or at risk of disappearing. Older workers who have worked all their lives in certain businesses that close their doors are hit hard.

Beyond the intentions set out in the budget, can the government tell us in specific terms whether it plans to help these older workers by the end of the current session in June?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, just to repeat in case the sound system is not working, we do want to help these people. We do want to do it in consultation to get the benefit of the years of experience and wisdom of hon. members like the one who just posed the questions.

That is why I have invited him to participate in this process and to do a feasibility study. I have also invited him to participate in assessing the five weeks program because we need his input. We want it.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I hope to have better luck with my next question.

Another group plunged into uncertainty are seasonal workers. Pilot project No. 6 to help these workers concludes on June 4, and the minister says she is studying the question.

I ask her this: could she not extend this pilot project for a while until she has made a final decision in the matter?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that we owe it to Canadians to be careful with every single dollar that we spend, and we will do that. We will not go extending programs because we have not bothered to take the time to make an informed rational decision.

That is why I have been trying to make arrangements with my colleagues in this House who have a concern on this issue. Unfortunately, their schedules have not allowed it yet. We are trying to meet next week to deal with this together, so that we can come up with a solution that would actually work for the workers and for Canadians across the country.

Child Care

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the Liberal government in Quebec will do the same as the Conservative government and tax back the $1,200 allowance per child.

When we talk about this allowance, the message to Quebeckers is clear. The Conservatives will tax it, the Liberals will tax it and the Bloc Québécois will vote in favour of it all. Families in Quebec and Canada will not receive the $1,200 they were promised.

Will the Prime Minister apologize for this broken promise?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Not at all, Mr. Speaker. The election promise is the same as what appears in the budget. We have a universal payment to families of $1,200 a year for every pre-school aged child.

Today, I am very pleased to say that the Government of Quebec wisely chose not to withdraw the benefits from the social programs in that province.

[Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Government of Quebec is going to tax back the $1,200, just like the Prime Minister's party intends to do. The words will never cross his mouth because it does not match the message box.

The fact is the government is breaking its promise to Canadians. If it were to deliver the funds through the child tax credit, this money would actually end up in the pockets of the parents who need it the way they were promised.

There are a couple of surprises here. We have a multi-year plan to tax back the $1,200. It was no surprise to have a multi-year corporate tax giveaway, but this one is a surprise.

Will the Prime Minister apologize to the people of Canada for breaking his promise and taxing back what he is giving them with the other hand?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised a $1,200 per year payment for every preschool-aged child.

The Minister of Finance announced in the budget that there would be no clawbacks from this social benefit. This benefit will go to every family with preschool children. The greatest benefit would go to those with the lowest incomes. That is shown in the budget. That is a fact. The NDP should be supporting Canadian families and children instead of--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Don Valley West.

Taxation

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government is playing a dangerous game with the provinces. On the one hand, it has created expectations by promising to correct the fiscal imbalance this year. On the other hand, it has allocated the entire budget surplus to program spending and tax breaks.

How can the Minister of Finance give the provinces more money without creating a deficit, when he has already spent the whole budget surplus?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the budget provides for an increase in transfers to the provinces of $4.5 billion this year and $1.5 billion for Quebec.

The Liberal Party and the former Liberal minister of intergovernmental affairs continue to deny that there is a fiscal imbalance. This party recognizes that an imbalance exists, and we are taking steps to correct it.

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the provinces want much more than that. They want more federal money, about $10 billion more each year to correct the fiscal imbalance.

The government has spent its entire surplus on tax breaks and programs.

Where is the new money for the provinces?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize, as the Prime Minister just said, the reality of the effort that is necessary to achieve fiscal balance in the Canadian federation. Not only do we recognize that reality, which was denied by the members opposite for 13 years, we recognize the need to work on making the economic union in Canada work better for all Canadians.

To that end, we are going to get together as ministers with the finance ministers and other ministers. We are going to receive the O'Brien report in the middle of May. I encourage all members of the House to read it and we will move forward with those consultations as the--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel.

Conservative Government

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, under the previous government, the current Prime Minister stated that some of the legislation passed in this House was not relevant to most Canadians because it was passed with the support of the Bloc caucus.

Can the Prime Minister tell us whether, according to his own logic, his government is not relevant to most Canadians when he must rely on the support of the Bloc caucus to hold on to power during the vote of confidence on the budget?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, if I understand the member, he thinks that the legislation that was passed in the last Parliament was illegitimate. All I can tell him is that there is a process. We will honour the process that has served this country very well for the passage of legislation.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am just trying to understand the logic of the Prime Minister and the leader of the Bloc. Since the budget was tabled, the separatists have been at each others' throats. In Quebec, André Boisclair said that the budget contained nothing new and that the agreement on the fiscal imbalance will be put off until kingdom come. But here, the leader of the Bloc said that the budget is very positive.

Can the Prime Minister tell us what he promised the Bloc leader to make him turn his back on René Lévesque's party?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Frankly, Mr. Speaker, I think that the Liberal Party should thank the Bloc Québécois for supporting this budget. The Liberal Party is making a big show of opposing the budget, despite the fact that, as we all know, the party that most fears an election right now is the Liberal Party of Canada.

Industry

[Paul Crête, Bloc, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the manufacturing industry has been hard hit by the effects of globalization and needs strong government support to adjust to the new global context.

Why was the Minister of Industry unable to have assistance for industries threatened by globalization included in the budget tabled on Tuesday?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite is asking for loan guarantees in the forestry sector. What the government has to offer people in the forestry sector is not loan guarantees, but a guarantee of repayment, the guarantee to have free access to the American market without duties or quotas, the guarantee of a bright future for workers in the manufacturing sector.

People voted for real change on January 23, and that is what they got.