House of Commons Hansard #13 of the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was equality.
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, yesterday that very member for West Nova told the assembled journalists he had “no evidence of any wrongdoing”. Has he changed his mind since yesterday?
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, the government House leader must answer for a lot of ministers in the government.
We know that the Minister of Justice shut down an inquiry into Mr. Mulroney's actions as soon as he got his new job, and we know that Mr. Mulroney is a personal friend and confidant of the Prime Minister. However, these new allegations concerning Mr. Mulroney and cash payments of $300,000 he received demand immediate action on the part of the government.
Why is the government not doing anything? What is it afraid of? Will it call a public inquiry?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, that is the answer to my question: there is no evidence.
The last time the Liberals talked about this, it cost Canadian taxpayers $2 million for pursuing false allegations. Why does he want to pursue that now? If the member thought there was something to it, why did that party settle that lawsuit and pay out that $2 million of taxpayers' money?
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, three ministers of the Government of Quebec said they were very disappointed with the federal government's economic statement because it contained no measures to help the manufacturing sector. While the oil companies turn a profit year after year, the manufacturing industry has been in serious crisis for two years.
Does the Prime Minister realize that there is nothing in his economic statement to help the manufacturing industry recover, while business closures and job losses are mounting?
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, I see that the leader of the Bloc Québécois is very good at asking questions in this House, but that unfortunately he forgets to listen to the answers.
What did we do this week? We announced our economic statement. We told Canadians that we were going to reduce the GST by 1%, which means that even people who do not pay tax will benefit from this cut.
We also announced individual and corporate tax cuts. Once again, we will all benefit from these measures.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, let us look at who will benefit from these corporate tax cuts. Shell will save $14 million; Imperial Oil, $31 million; and Talisman Energy, $20 million. However, Abitibi-Consol and Tembec will get absolutely nothing, because they did not turn a profit.
It does not take much education to understand that a company that makes no profit pays no tax. Only companies that are turning a profit—the companies that least need it—will benefit from this budget, while forestry and manufacturing companies will get nothing. The oil companies get everything. That is the reality.
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois must have asked 6,000 questions since he became a member of Parliament. What does he have to show for it? What has he achieved with all his questions? We are taking action.
We have acted on softwood lumber. We have invested $400 million in innovation in the forestry sector. We have also corrected the fiscal imbalance. And this is what manufacturers and exporters in Quebec had to say about our economic statement this week:
The reduction of federal corporate tax rates is an important measure that will enable Canada to maintain the level of private investment and attract foreign investment. We are therefore preserving our long-term global competitiveness—
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the crisis in the manufacturing and forestry sectors is not new. The government's economic statement confirms that all these sectors, except for the oil industry, are experiencing a tragic decline.
Under the circumstances, how can the Minister of Labour and minister responsible for regional development claim that his government needs more time before it can take action? Does he realize that is no different than a doctor telling a seriously ill person, “I know you are seriously ill, but come back and see me in six months”?
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know where the Bloc Québécois was in 1993 when the forestry crisis first broke out. What did they do at the time to convince the Parti Québécois to take action?
I also want to remind hon. members that we took action in the softwood lumber industry by investing $400 million in innovation in forestry. We corrected the fiscal imbalance. We gave $4.1 billion to Mr. Charest's government to take action in sectors under its jurisdiction, sectors like forestry.
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, I remember that in 1993 it was the Conservatives who were kicked out, just as they will be the next time, given the way they are behaving.
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order, please. The hon. member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup.
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, all the sectors are in serious crisis: manufacturing, forestry and agriculture. The only sector this government has decided to help is the oil network.
How can this government justify the urgency to help the oil industry, which is making huge profits, if not to help his dear friends and tough luck for those who are waiting?
Jean-Pierre Blackburn ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Bloc Québécois members have not read the latest polls as we have. They would have seen that things are not so rosy for them.
That said, we know there are problems in the forestry sector. This was clearly indicated in the Speech from the Throne. People know that when the Prime Minister makes a promise like the one he made in the Speech from the Throne—he said he was going to address the forestry situation—he keeps his word.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is pulling the rug from under future governments.
With the help of his Liberal partner, he has now decided to give massive tax cuts to big companies and their CEOs.
However, today's families are being robbed at the gas station. Their money is being taken at the ATMs and seniors have to choose between their rent and their medication. This is unfair!
Why did the Prime Minister decide to help big companies rather than our citizens and communities?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, I thought on a day like this he would have particularly had some compassion for people who work for big companies. We want to help people who work for big companies and have jobs there to keep those jobs. That is why we are helping make those companies more competitive. It is also why we are cutting those people's income tax.
That is also why we have cut the GST from 7% to 6% to 5%, so every Canadian who pays taxes has more money to buy things like cars and other things that people who work for those big companies make, so they will have jobs and prosperity in the future.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, thanks to their new partner, the Liberals, the Prime Minister is able to assume that he now has a blank cheque to cut taxes for the biggest, most profitable corporations, the banks, the oil companies and the rest.
It is like George Bush. This is exactly what he did and he left the nation's finances in a terrible mess, which is where we are headed.
We are sitting on a manufacturing jobs crisis. Has the Prime Minister not even thought about what happened at Chrysler today? What about the people who are struggling to make ends meet? The gap is widening. Why not cope—
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, apparently the leader of the NDP has come up with his solution to jobs at a struggling Chrysler, tax them to death.
That is not the way jobs are created and that is not the way we help the people who work in those jobs. We have done things to help those companies be more competitive. We have increased the capital cost allowance in the last budget. We are cutting corporate taxes so they can be more competitive. We are cutting the GST so people can buy their cars, so they can buy manufactured goods, so they can spend more money, so they have a better standard of living.
The policies of the government are one of the reasons why we have the lowest rate of unemployment right now in 33 years. We still have more work to do, but we are doing it.
Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, what is truly shocking is that despite serious allegations around Mr. Mulroney's conduct, the only answer we get from the Conservative Party is “take it outside”.
Taxpayer dollars are lining the pockets of Mr. Mulroney. Canadians deserve answers. Will the Conservative government announce an inquiry that is free and independent and that is free of Conservative meddling?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien went to great lengths to say that he had nothing to do with any witch hunt on former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in this case. Yet now a member of that very cabinet seems to be wanting to engage in the exact same witch hunt. I think we now know what the real truth was.
Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, the current Minister of National Defence stated in this House in 1998:
Will the government do the right thing, clear the air on this sordid affair and call a public inquiry into the Airbus scandal?...When this happens, Canadians will be allowed to finally see the truth.
That was before anyone knew of the $300,000 paid to Mr. Mulroney.
Does the Conservative government still believe Canadians deserve the truth?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, it is not this government that paid $2 million to Brian Mulroney to settle a lawsuit on false accusations. It was that Liberal Party. When it was in government, it dipped into taxpayer dollars for that sum to settle the issue. Perhaps it was sweeping that under the carpet.
Is that not cute? Today is the first year anniversary of the Gomery inquiry report. I guess we know about the Liberal practice of sweeping things under the carpet.
Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Mr. Speaker, it has been the long-standing policy of our country, reaffirmed by Foreign Affairs as recently as last Friday, that “there is no death penalty in Canada and the government of Canada does not support the death penalty” and that it will “seek clemency for Canadians sentenced to death in foreign countries”. Yet the government has now reversed this policy in not seeking clemency for Alberta-born Ronald Allen Smith, the only Canadian on death row in the United States.
Will the government reaffirm our long-standing policy restated last Friday and seek the commutation of a Canadian citizen?
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, we will not be actively seeking to bring back to Canada convicted murderers who have been found as such in a jurisdiction that is both democratic and respects the rule of law. It would be a wrong message. We want to preserve public safety in Canada, and that is our position.