House of Commons Hansard #11 of the 40th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was coalition.
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Orders 104 and 114 I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding membership of committees of the House.
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Mr. Speaker, this is beginning to look like a habit, but the more petitions I present, the more I receive from the public to be presented. This time it is a petition not only from Ottawa—-Vanier and from Ottawa, but also from the Gatineau region, in other words, the greater national capital region.
This petition deals with the possible construction of two bridges, in order to have a ring road around the national capital region and thus to get heavy truck traffic out of downtown Ottawa. These people believe it might be preferable to get this heavy traffic a little further from the downtown core of our capital.
The petitioners call upon the government to appeal to the National Capital Commission to carry out an in-depth study of the route that would link the Canotek industrial park to the Gatineau airport, that is option seven of phase one of the environmental study for potential bridges in the national capital region.
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition from a number of constituents from beautiful Langley.
The petitioners say that there are a number of severe and potentially life threatening conditions which do not qualify for disability programs because they are not necessarily permanent. Residents find themselves losing their homes and livelihoods while trying to fight these severe medical conditions. They are calling on the House of Commons to enact legislation to provide additional medical EI benefits to at least equal, if not better than, maternity EI benefits.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
December 2nd, 2008 / 10:05 a.m.
Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
The House resumed from December 1 consideration of the motion, and of the motion that this question be now put.
Paul Calandra Conservative Oak Ridges—Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the economic and fiscal update introduced last week in the House. Before I do, I want to take a moment, as this is my first opportunity to speak in the House, to thank the people of Oak Ridges—Markham for placing their trust in me and for allowing me to be their voice here in Parliament.
I would also like to take a moment to thank my campaign manager, Mathew Ellis, and my deputy campaign manager, Marissa Steiner, for their hard work during the campaign. In addition I thank my campaign chair, Gayle Climpson-Kennedy, my CFO Stephen Wilkinson, and the core group of over 200 volunteers who helped me get the message out and helped me win Oak Ridges—Markham. I am truly indebted to them for all their hard work.
Finally, I give the biggest thanks of all to my wife, Melanie, and our two daughters, Natalie and Olivia, whose support has been spectacular. My second daughter was born on October 4 at Markham Stouffville Hospital, during the election campaign. I would also like to thank the doctors, Dr. Arnold at Markham Stouffville Hospital, and the entire staff for the extraordinary care they gave to my family.
My wife has been with me through everything in politics, through thick and thin. She has always been my best friend and my best supporter. I cannot thank her enough.
Oak Ridges—Markham is a huge riding. It is actually the largest riding in Canada in terms of population. Leading up to and during the last election, I spent many months talking to the people of Oak Ridges—Markham. We talked about everything, including health care and the environment, specifically focusing on the economy.
My campaign focused on the economy. I told the people of Oak Ridges—Markham some of the good things that we had done in the economy. They listened to my message and they decided that the government was on the right track, and they elected me. They understood that since taking office, we have given Canada strong government and that we have made substantial changes to our economy that has left Canada in the strongest position of all industrialized nations.
Since 2006 this government has reduced the federal debt by $37 billion. It has reduced taxes by almost $200 billion. It has reduced taxes on new businesses. It has and is making massive investments in infrastructure, science and technology, and we have created hundreds of thousands of new jobs. This government is also providing the economy with the essential tools that it needs to remain strong and to grow in the future.
When we were cutting taxes as a government, how were the Liberal opposition members voting? When we cut taxes for people, they voted against it, if they showed up at all. When we invested in infrastructure across Canada, how did they vote? They voted against it and they did not show up. When we invested in the armed forces, the brave men and women of this country who are fighting to preserve Canadian freedoms, who are showcasing Canada abroad, how did they vote? They voted against it.
We invested in the environment, including in my riding. The Prime Minister came to my riding of Oak Ridges—Markham and announced that through partnership with Ducks Unlimited we were going to secure naturally significant lands, including the Happy Valley Forest in King. How did they vote? They did not show up and they voted against it.
While we were telling Canadians that we believed in them, that we were going to cut taxes so that they could invest in their future, in their family's future, and we were cutting taxes so that they could invest in business, the members opposite were telling Canadians that they could not be trusted to invest in their families. Indeed, the Liberals were saying that if the government cut taxes, Canadians would spend it on pop, beer and chips, that they just could not be trusted to manage their own affairs.
We on this side of the House have much more faith in the people of Canada. We know that Canadians need more money in their pockets so that they can invest in their future. That is what we have been doing since we have been in government.
I am extraordinarily proud to be part of a government that has done that for all Canadians. We have been working long and hard, even before this crisis hit the mainstream media, to make the investments that I mentioned before and to make additional investments that will ensure that our economy remains strong moving forward.
Over the past few months we have met with our G20 partners. We have worked closely with our provincial premiers and consulted with business, both big and small, to chart a course to protect the Canadian economy. We consulted Canadians on October 14.
Canadians overwhelmingly decided that the Prime Minister, the finance minister, and this government were on the right track to make the necessary changes to the economy to ensure that we remained strong and that we would come out of this world economic crisis better than any other country. They opted for stability. They opted for a measured approach that would not lead Canada into devastation in the years ahead but would make us stronger.
We have acted quickly and confidently, and have always put the bests interests of our nation first. We are moving to restore a greater liquidity to our banking system to guarantee Canadians access to credit. We are reviewing all government spending so that we can provide the maximum investment back into our economy without falling back into structural deficits. We are providing stable funding to our provincial partners. We are providing historic levels of funding for infrastructure. We are moving to stabilize our pension system and give Canadian seniors the support they need in the years ahead.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to consult with premiers and our G20 partners to chart the appropriate course to maintain our economy and provide all Canadians with security and peace of mind.
The people of Ontario remember all too well what a Liberal democratic alliance party means to an economy. Ontario remembers the disastrous results between 1985 and 1995; what the people of Ontario refer to as the “lost decade”. Ontario taxpayers, unfortunately, remember the highest business taxes. They remember the highest personal income taxes. They remember record business failures and massive levels of debt. It was close to $50 billion in debt in only four years. They remember a deficit of $11 billion.
In fact, under the Liberal democratic alliance in Ontario, Ontario was spending $1 million more an hour than it was taking in. Imagine that, $1 million more an hour than it was taking in, without a plan to get out of a hole. It was cutting health care spending and the number of hospital beds, and there were record levels of unemployment. This is the record of a Liberal democratic alliance party when in power in Ontario. The people of Ontario remember this all to well and the people of Ontario massively rejected that on October 14.
What did the Liberals do when they were in power in the nineties? They shifted the burden onto the provinces. There were over $25 billion in cuts to the Canada health and social transfer. They did not work with our provincial partners to make sure that they could sustain such massive cuts. They unilaterally cut, forcing the provinces to find savings in health care, to find savings in social assistance. There had to be cuts in health and education. Why? Because the members on that side of the House were not interested in cutting back their entitlements. They were not interested in finding out how government could work better. Their solution was to transfer to another level of government. Canadians again massively rejected that, and installed a government that actually cared about Canadians and understood how finances work in this country.
At a time when the world economy is in crisis and stability is required, what do the opposition members want to do? They want to set aside the results of the last election and install a government led by a prime minister who was massively rejected by the people of this country. They then want to change the government in four months when they have selected yet another leader; again, another leader not elected by the people of Canada. They want to raise taxes. They want to take some of the NDP policies and increase taxes to businesses at a time when they cannot afford to do so. They want to give a blank cheque to the members of the Bloc Québécois to decide the future of this country.
The people of my riding and the people of Canada do not agree with that approach. They overwhelmingly selected a government that was charting the right course. That is what I hear from the people in my riding.
What are the people saying about the proposed new Liberal democratic alliance party? I have been absolutely inundated with emails and telephone calls from people in my riding. I would like to give members a little sample of what the people are saying to me. Dr. John Cocker wrote: “Just to let you know I am outraged by the action of the opposition to grab power. I feel that [the Prime Minister] is on the right track. Everyone I have spoken to feels the same way”.
A constituent from Newmarket said:
If the NDP and the Liberal Parties are allowed to force out the Conservatives now, this Canadian among thousands will totally lose faith in the Democratic Process in this country. What's more, an overthrow of the current government in these challenging and troubled times looks like a real recipe for the very fiscal disaster that the Opposition Parties claim [that they want to resolve].
A constituent from Markham said:
All I know is that the possible coalition between the Liberal, NDP and Bloc is completely ridiculous. MPs were voted for so that they would put their locals first and actually try to look out for us. This is not for the people it is petty politics that does our economy and country absolutely no good.
A constituent from Stouffville said:
How do I voice my opinion strongly to the government of Canada that if I wanted an inept leader like [the leader of the Liberal Party], I would have voted for him!!!!!
A constituent from Richmond Hill wrote:
We the judges, THE PEOPLE OF CANADA, voted him [the Prime Minister] in and most importantly did NOT vote [the leader of the Liberal Party] in.
Is this how democracy works? No, it is not.
Another constituent from Markham wrote:
I am writing to express my concern over the undemocratic backroom dealings that are being done in parliament. With the economy the way it is and the global environment, [this] high tension, global recession, we need a government to run the country, NOT a bunch of backroom dealings of people who believe they know better than the results of the election--
A resident in Schomberg wrote to me:
You are my MP and I am begging you and [the Prime Minister] not to leave us in the hands of [the leader of the Liberal Party] and [the leader of the New Democratic Party].
Another constituent from Markham wrote:
I believe such a coalition would be unproductive, distract from the country's real problems and nothing more than political posturing by the Liberals, NDP and any other party choosing to join.
A constituent from Nobleton wrote:
I don't want the NDP to look after my finances. I don't want the Bloc making decisions for Canada. I don't want the Liberals with their leadership fiasco and infighting to govern Canada. None of them are ready collectively or separately. AGAIN, NONE OF THEM WERE ELECTED.
That is what the people of my riding are saying. That is just a small sampling of the over 500 emails and telephone calls that I have received since the signing of that document yesterday. What else are people saying about this?
I will refer to some of the previous debates by the member for Markham—Unionville:
The fundamental point about the NDP is that those members do not understand economics. They never understood economics and they never will understand economics. In effect, the NDP is mired in a time warp in the 1960s.... It is mired in the 1960s. It has no vision of wealth creation and no clue how to go about it should that be its desire, which is why that party will remain a marginal protest party.
He went on to say:
At the latest NDP convention, a motion was put forward by the leader's riding association that Canada should get out of NAFTA and out of the WTO. Those members also want Canada to get out of Norad, by the way. The NDP's official policy since 1997 has been that Canada should get out of NAFTA. That was delusional, clueless, irresponsible policy and it is still characterized as the Neanderthal economic thinking of the New Democratic Party.... The NDP members would have constructed a wall around Canada to keep everything out, a wall so high that it would be reminiscent of the wall then prevailing in communist Albania.
That was said by the member for Markham—Unionville about his new coalition friends. What else did he say? He stated:
--to the federal NDP, which has never been a government and never will be a government, and whose basic problem is that it may have a heart, as it knows how to redistribute income, but it does not have a brain.
Imagine, the member for Markham—Unionville is now prepared to sit in alliance--
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I just wanted to give the member opposite an opportunity to see the dynamics and the ebb and flow in the House. Some of us are listening to what he is saying. We started by having a discussion on the economic update. From the moment that we started talking about the economic update this has turned into a discussion about the internal politics of some of the parties in the House. So far, we are not there yet, so we want to talk about the economic update and the government's reaction to the economic crisis.
Is it within the parameters of the House, and perhaps the Chair, to ask the member to focus on the crisis that is at hand, the crisis which the Prime Minister indicated is where we should be focusing our attention? We should be discussing the measures the Government of Canada is going to take to address the financial, fiscal and economic troubles facing the nation, not whether the NDP is a coherent political party.
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would argue that the views of the member for Markham—Unionville on the economic and financial incompetence of the New Democratic Party is fully relevant to this debate.
The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
The hon. member for Oak Ridges—Markham is talking about the fiscal update, the motion that is before the House. He is doing it in such a way that he is talking about what other parties may have said or relate to it, so I do find his comments relevant. However, I would remind all members that when they make remarks to stay as close as possible to the subject material of the motion.
The hon. member for Oak Ridges—Markham has four and a half minutes left.
Paul Calandra Conservative Oak Ridges—Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is only a Liberal who would believe that entering into a coalition agreement with people who apparently have no brains and do not understand the economy is not an important thing to the people of Canada.
Perhaps the member does not remember what happened in Ontario the last time the Liberals and the NDP were in power. Perhaps he has forgotten the devastation that coalition did to the province of Ontario. Perhaps he has forgotten the $11 billion deficit. Perhaps he has forgotten the $50 billion in debt. Perhaps he has forgotten the record levels of unemployment. Perhaps he has forgotten the massive amounts of cuts to health care spending, the hospital beds that were closing and how provinces had to deal with massive budget cuts by the government led by his party.
The people of Ontario do not forget, and if the member does not think that it is relevant in this debate today--
The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order. Is the hon. member for Shefford rising on a point of order?
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to the same point. We are still debating the economic statement. If the party in power wishes to talk about the economic statement and what it intends to do in coming days, we are totally prepared to listen. However, saying that the opposition parties will not have any economic statement, and to descend into petty politics about that, is quite another thing. Let the government party deal with the policy in their economic statement and then we will be able to talk about what the other parties will be able to do. It is not, however, the time and the place here in this House today for us to state what needs doing and how it will be done. Let them focus on what they need to do, and we will listen.
Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB
Mr. Speaker, on that point of order, of course the opposition parties are colluding right now to put together a coalition in response to the economic statement that would include, I guess, their three point plan for the economy: a massive carbon tax, a massive increase in corporate taxes, and of course, breaking up the country. I think any discussion of these points is completely relevant in the context of the debate that we are having today.
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the speech by the hon. member across the way. He needs to understand that he is not here to analyze the coalition's economic statement but rather the economic statement from the party in power. So let him not change the focus to the other side; his party's statement is the one we are looking at, not the others'. Let him start with his own.
The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
If the hon. parliamentary secretary is rising on the same point, I do not want to get into a large debate about this because I have already ruled on this.
I have already ruled on this. What is now before the House is a matter of considerable scope.
I will stick to my earlier ruling. Members are free to talk about the motion before the House and some of the related issues about who is and who is not supporting it.
The hon. member for Oak Ridges—Markham has three minutes left and then we will move on to questions and comments.
Paul Calandra Conservative Oak Ridges—Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is correct. I am here to speak on behalf of the people of Oak Ridges—Markham, the 136,000 electors, and over 200,000 people who live in my riding who sent me here. I am speaking for them. I am not speaking for the Bloc. I am not speaking for the NDP. I am not speaking for the Liberals. I am speaking for the people of Oak Ridges—Markham who sent me here as the first Conservative to represent that riding.
My riding is the largest in Canada in terms of population. After the throne speech, which by the way the opposition supported and passed, I heard about democratic reform. I come from a riding that represents more people than the population of the entire province of Prince Edward Island, the people of Oak Ridges—Markham were certainly concerned that the proposal regarding democratic reform would also be lost if a new Liberal-New Democratic alliance party were to take over next week.
Ultimately, we have a government that was elected by Canadians. It was supported by more Canadians than any other party. It is time to return our focus to the economy. It is not a time to play petty politics. I want to assure the people of Oak Ridges—Markham that I will continue to represent their voice in Parliament. I will continue to represent their interests here. I will fight every single day for them to make sure that each of their votes is respected and actually counted in the last election.
Gerry Byrne Liberal Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL
Mr. Speaker, the member spent a considerable amount of time talking about a supposed elected mandate of the Conservative minority government and that the Prime Minister received a specific mandate from the people on October 14. Notwithstanding the fact that 62% of all Canadians voted anything but Conservative in the last election campaign, I would like to examine a little bit further this supposed mandate.
I am asking the member, on what specific page in the Conservative Party platform during the last election campaign did it say that a Conservative government would cut $2 billion in federal government programs and spending? On what particular page of that document did the Conservative Party say it would end the collective bargaining rights of federal government employees? I do not seem to remember anywhere during the election campaign those particular statements being made as part of the current Conservative government mandate.
On what particular page or in what speech did the Prime Minister of Canada, then running in an election campaign seeking a very specific mandate from the people of Canada, outline that $10 billion would have to be collected from the sale of federal government assets in order to stem the tide of deficits? In order to collect $10 billion in a downward market, he probably would have to sell $40 billion of federal government assets—
The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order. I will have to cut off the hon. member there to allow the hon. member for Oak Ridges—Markham a chance to respond.
Paul Calandra Conservative Oak Ridges—Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the hon. member could tell me on what page the Liberals, NDP and Bloc decided they were going to form a coalition government. On what page did the Liberals decide to give a blank cheque to the separatists in this country? On what page did they decide to increase business taxes by $50 billion at a time when the economy is struggling?
That is what we are talking about right now. We are talking about the economy. We are talking about a Liberal Party that is so obsessed with its entitlements. The Liberals see that the entitlement fairy is going to start coming around. Forget about Santa Claus. This is all about their entitlements. I was in the House yesterday listening to member after member talk about their entitlements. Not once did they mention that this would be good for Canada. It is only about what the Liberals are going to put under the pillow for the entitlement fairy to come around and sprinkle them with great things. On what page did you decide to hand over the rule of this country to the separatist party?
The Deputy Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
I would remind the hon. member for Oak Ridges—Markham to address his comments through the Chair and not directly to other members.
Robert Vincent Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, the member asked on what page the opposition stated its intention to form a coalition government. I will tell him: on the same page as the one where the Conservatives delivered their economic statement.
The Conservatives say that they were elected on October 14 with a clear mandate to address the economic crisis. What have they done about it? They delivered an economic statement that includes absolutely nothing to help the economy.
The member asked, on which page did we talk about a coalition? On the page where they did nothing, the page where other political parties felt obliged to condemn certain things and talk about other things that could be done, and done well. It looks to me like the thing they do best is sit on their hands. They are welcome to keep doing that, and I hope they do so for a long time.
Paul Calandra Conservative Oak Ridges—Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, since taking office in 2006, the government has done more to stimulate and protect the economy than any other government in Canada's history.
We reduced federal debt by $37 billion. We cut taxes by almost $200 billion. We reduced taxes on businesses so they could thrive. We are making massive investments in infrastructure. We created hundreds of thousands of new jobs. We cut the GST so Canadians could invest in themselves. What a novel concept: believing that Canadians deserve to have more money in their pockets so they can invest in their future and their children's future, and they can invest in their businesses.
That is our record of achievement and we will not apologize for that extraordinary record of achievement. We will not sit back and let the opposition hand over the keys to a party that wants to break up Canada, to another party that wants to increase business taxes by $50 billion and to another party that is just so desperate for its entitlements it will do anything to get back in power.
The people of Canada deserve better than that.
