House of Commons Hansard #27 of the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was money.
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, with respect to the general powers granted to the Attorney General under the Extradition Act, Mr. Don Rennie from the Department of Justice has forwarded a letter to the ethics committee setting out the parameters for the Minister of Justice's jurisdiction.
With respect to any individual case that is before the court, it would, of course, be inappropriate to comment.
AirbusOral Questions
The Speaker Peter Milliken
Order, please. The hon. Leader of the Opposition has the floor and we will have a little order. We have to be able to hear the question.
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Mr. Speaker, let me try in my English. On Monday, the minister said that he did not have the power. Today we learned that his department is ready to use the power he pretends he does not have.
What is the truth? Is the minister incompetent to the point where he does not know the power that he has or is he misleading the House? Which one is right?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I listened very carefully to the hon. member's question and I must say that it makes even less sense in English.
AirbusOral Questions
The Speaker Peter Milliken
Order, please. The Minister of Justice has the floor to answer the question he was asked. We do not need 25 questions. The Minister of Justice has the floor.
Rob Nicholson Conservative Niagara Falls, ON
Mr. Speaker, again I would refer the hon. member to the outline of the responsibilities the justice minister has under the Extradition Act, as set out by Mr. Rennie in a letter to the Solicitor General for the ethics committee.
Of course, with respect to any individual case, I have not commented publicly on any case up to this point and I do not intend to do so now.
Stéphane Dion LiberalLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, in English and in French everyone understood the question except the minister.
I will ask the question once again. Will he confirm that his department offered to use the power he claims he does not have, the power to delay the extradition of Mr. Schreiber by 10 days, yes or no?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is asking about a specific case. Surely he has had advice from somebody in his party who is aware of these matters that it would be totally inappropriate to comment on any specific case.
If he wants to know the general law with respect to extradition, he can have a look at the opinion of Mr. Rennie.
Michael Ignatieff Liberal Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
Mr. Speaker, what representations did Elmer MacKay make to his own son, the current defence minister, concerning Karlheinz Schreiber? What representations did the defence minister make to the Prime Minister or any other government official about the Schreiber matter?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
None whatsoever, Mr. Speaker.
Michael Ignatieff Liberal Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
Mr. Speaker, fathers speak to sons, fathers even use fax machines. Ministers speak to other ministers barely five feet apart. The answer is not credible.
Let me put the question in French. What representations did the Minister of National Defence make to the Prime Minister about Mr. Schreiber?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, the answer in either language is exactly the same: none whatsoever.
I would say that for a sophisticated legal mind, the member opposite should spend a little bit more time crafting his questions.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government has forecast a budget surplus of $11.6 billion for 2007-08, even though back in the spring it was forecasting a surplus of $3.3 billion. Yet the Conservatives repeatedly criticized the Liberals who, when they were in power, underestimated the surplus year after year and always allocated it to paying down the debt, without any debate.
Since by underestimating the surplus the minister is doing exactly what the Liberals did, could he at least hold a debate on the use of the surplus, just as his party called for when it was in opposition?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the fact that we have reduced debt by a remarkable amount in the 21 or 22 months that we have been in office.
Not only have we done that, but we have made a commitment to Canadians in a tax back guarantee that every time that we reduce debt and have that interest savings on the debt, that savings will be passed on to Canadians in their personal taxes. That is a huge saving for every Canadian. Not only is it huge, but it is every year going forward.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, thousands of workers and older people are living below the poverty line. The manufacturing and forestry sectors also have urgent needs, as do all these people.
By refusing to have any debate, even though that is what the Conservatives called for when they were in opposition, and by dedicating almost all of the surplus to the debt, does the minister realize that he is depriving thousands of people of basic financial assistance, which he could immediately provide to them with his $11.6 billion in surplus?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member is ignoring what we did in the fall economic update in particular, and that is reduce taxes dramatically for Canadian businesses, including the forestry sector, the auto sector and all the manufacturers in Canada across the board, long term, broad based tax cuts, historic tax cuts that permit the manufacturing sector to go ahead in Canada and invest in machinery and equipment.
Not only that, but six months before, in March we gave this huge incentive to buy through the accelerated capital cost allowance more machinery and equipment. This is the strength in the Canadian economy--
FinanceOral Questions
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, what is certain is that these are historic tax reductions for oil companies.
Yesterday the Standing Committee on Finance unanimously adopted a Bloc Québécois motion recommending that the government promptly introduce the tax measures proposed in the unanimous report, to benefit the manufacturing sector. These measures include refundable tax credits for research and development, which would allow businesses that are experiencing problems to improve their competitiveness and protect their jobs.
Does the Minister of Finance not realize that he must immediately follow up on the unanimous motion of the Standing Committee on Finance, otherwise entire sectors of the manufacturing industry could disappear?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, on October 30, we announced tax reductions that will total $60 billion over this year and the next five years. This includes accelerating the small business deduction to 11% as of January 1, 2008.
If the member opposite wants to talk about big business he can, but we are concerned about small and medium size businesses in Canada and reducing their tax burden.
The member opposite knows, from experience in small businesses, that if we reduce the burden then they can reinvest and create more jobs. Guess what? We have record unemployment in Canada as a result of these reinvestments.
Paul Crête Bloc Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, those who know the reality better than anyone else are the people in the manufacturing sector. They know full well what they are up against. In recent weeks, we have received letters from, among others, the CAW, the industrial engineers, the Quebec manufacturers and exporters association, the forest products association, and the Quebec federation of chambers of commerce. In their letters, all these stakeholders demand immediate action by the federal government to support manufacturing businesses.
Why is the Minister of Finance stubbornly turning a deaf ear? He should realize that, with anticipated surpluses of $11.6 billion, he has the means to take immediate action.
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I hear what the member opposite says but I also hear what the Canadian manufacturers and exporters say. They say that the reduction in the federal corporate tax rate is an extremely important step in sustaining Canada's ability to retain and attract business investment.
Similarly, the move we made on October 30, the dramatic reduction in business taxes, was applauded by the Quebec manufacturers.
I do look forward tomorrow, as part of our prebudget consultations, to having the opportunity to listen to Quebec manufacturers in Quebec City where we will be tomorrow for prebudget consultations.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, Amnesty International cites Russia as one of the worst human rights offenders in the world.
Garry Kasparov, an opposition party leader, was just let out of jail today after a five day sentence. What was his crime? He was walking in a peaceful protest against the Putin government.
Canadians are very concerned about human rights abuses in Russia. They are also concerned about the conduct of free and democratic elections.
Did the Prime Minister raise concerns about Mr. Kasparov and the unjust penalty he received and about human rights abuses in Russia when he met with the prime minister of Russia today?