Debates of Dec. 3rd, 2008

The Economy

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister ignores the truth. Just for the record, the Bloc Québécois has supported the Conservative government at least 140 times, including 14 confidence votes, so let us not be distracted by the red herrings and stick to the real issue, and that is the economy, abject Conservative economic failure.

Beyond all the same old stuff, why is there nothing new for Canadians, for infrastructure, for housing, for manufacturing, for forestry and autos, and for training? Why do the Conservatives have no new plan right now?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear about what the leader of the Liberal Party is proposing. He is proposing to govern with the Bloc Québécois and to give it a veto over all important decisions, over all financial policies in every sector of this country. That is the price he is prepared to pay to become prime minister. That can do nothing but weaken the Canadian economy, weaken our democracy, and weaken our country.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, just like the flags yesterday, what the Prime Minister has just said is absolutely false.

The Conservatives cannot face the truth. Their own Parliamentary Budget Officer says they are wrong. They are in deficit. It is their deficit. They created it all by themselves. Their previous budgets have not succeeded and now they are all worn out.

Canada is in a recession with no margin left to protect Canadians and no new stimulus. Why can the government not get the point that its economic statement was offensive and that this country needs a different, better plan right now?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Liberal Party sat down with the leader of the separatist party on national television. Those pictures are all there. They will show those flags put way off to the side where they are out of the camera angles.

If the Liberal Party continues down this path, those images will never be forgotten by the Canadian people. If the Liberals want to help the Canadian economy, they should sit down with us in front of the flag and do it now.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is confirmed in a letter: in 2004, the Prime Minister was prepared to go to the Governor General, with the support of the Bloc Québécois. The willingness of the former Reform members to associate with separatists, as they would say, is not recent. In fact, the very day of the November 2000 election, a detailed proposal for a coalition was sent to the Bloc Québécois on behalf of the leader of the Canadian Alliance.

Will the Prime Minister admit that he, in 2004, and the leader of the Canadian Alliance, in 2000, were prepared to govern with the Bloc? How—

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, seriously, the leader of the Bloc Québécois has not mentioned this fact for eight years for the sole reason that the former leader of the Canadian Alliance never saw this letter before this evening.

The facts are that, on October 7, 2008, the leader of the Bloc told his own voters that he would never be part of such a coalition with the federalists. If he is about to do so, he should be prepared to face his own voters and obtain a democratic mandate.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the 2000 proposal, supported by the current Minister of International Trade, they were even prepared to discuss the contents of the throne speech with the leader of the Bloc Québécois in order to form, as they put it, a “new government of consensus”.

Will the Minister of International Trade admit that after the 2000 election he was ready to form a coalition government with the separatists—as they say—of the Bloc Québécois, and as the proposal made by his personal attorney, Mr. Chipeur, confirms?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, before last night, I had never seen this document, I had never heard of this document and I never authorized this document. It is a complete fabrication.

I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, my DNA would never allow me to do a deal, a coalition, with socialists and my heart would never allow me to do a deal with separatists.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the current Minister of International Trade, as leader of the Canadian Alliance, not only proposed getting together with the separatists to form a coalition government, but he also went so far as to agree to discuss the content of an eventual throne speech.

How can the Conservatives today maintain that the current coalition is illegitimate when they themselves did not hesitate to suggest the exact same thing in 2000 and 2004?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and honoured to repeat that I had not seen or heard of this document until last night. I never authorized this document and I have never, ever discussed this document.

As I have said before, it would be bad enough, it would be going against my very DNA to do a coalition deal with socialists. It would absolutely go against my heart and the hearts of Canadians to do a deal with separatists. No coalition with separatists.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the deal proposed in 2000 was practically a program to govern that included democratic reform, respect for the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces, tax cuts for families and business subsidies.

Given the content of this document, should the Prime Minister not reconsider and acknowledge that the current coalition is not only legitimate but that it is perfectly democratic?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as the members of the Bloc Québécois know, I sat in the National Assembly for almost 10 years. I witnessed many debates there and I heard the deep contempt that many of the PQ members had for Canada.

Today, I look at the Leader of the Opposition, who comes from the same city as I do, who represents a longstanding tradition—because people know that both my grandparents sat here in this House—and I urge him to continue that longstanding tradition.

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

Mr. Speaker, nations around the world are getting serious about the economic crisis that is facing them. They are bringing forward bold and aggressive actions to deal with the economic crisis.

[Dean Del Mastro]

Jack, you're a traitor.

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

Canada's manufacturing sector, its automotive sector and its forestry sector are in crisis, and yet the government brings forward no plan to deal with these issues. There is no plan to create the technologies for a green economic future. There is no plan to deal with a broken EI system that is leaving people out in the cold.

Why does the Prime Minister care more about saving his own job than the jobs of Canadians who are being thrown out of work?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the bold plan of the leader of the NDP is that the day the election is over he starts meeting with the separatists to plot a coalition to overturn the results of the election without any proposals to help any of the ordinary people he is talking about. This is a sellout of the interests of all of the people who voted for his party.

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

Actually, Mr. Speaker, I remember being invited by this former leader of the opposition to come to a meeting with him and the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about exactly these sorts of things in 2004.

So, the fact is that the first priority of the House right now must be the economy. We are in a global crisis. Canadian families are counting on us to do something for them and for their families. What we have instead is a Prime Minister who is desperately clinging to his own job and standing against the democratic process.

Will he honour his commitment and let us vote?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the NDP wants to help this economy, he would immediately pass the elements in the economic and fiscal update that help the manufacturing and automobile sectors, that help the credit markets, that help pensioners and RRIF holders. And the leader of the NDP would walk away from a deal with the separatists, whom Jacques Parizeau says he will use to weaken our economy and weaken our country.

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

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister has not introduced any plan for the economy and we cannot vote for proposals like that.

The Prime Minister prefers to cling to power, go back on his word and put a lock on the door, instead of letting the members work on economic renewal. The only thing that matters is saving his own job, not the jobs of Canadians. We must save peoples' jobs.

Why will the Prime Minister not step aside to make room for a team that has a plan?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the New Democratic Party does not have a plan for the economy; he has a plan to govern this country with Quebec sovereignists. It is as simple as that. It is not a plan for the economy. They have no plan for the economy.

The leader of that party can work with the government on additional measures for the economy if he wants, but he must reject this plan aimed at subverting our country, Canada.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians an economic plan this fall, he failed. He promised to make Parliament work, he failed. His exam is Monday night's vote.

Why is this petulant Prime Minister pulling the fire alarm just to avoid his leadership test? Why does he want to shut down this Parliament during an economic crisis? Why is he more interested in protecting his own job than saving Canadian jobs?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, why is the member opposite and his party all members of the new socialist coalition, the new separatist coalition? Why are they opposed to helping pensioners in the fall economic update, help that is needed before the end of December? Why are they opposed to helping seniors aged 71 and older with RRIFs in this country, relief that is needed now in 2008? Why are they opposed to the powers that the government would have to extend further credit to small business in this country, including the auto sector? Why is the new separatist coalition opposed to--

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Kings--Hants.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, that is just more politics and no economic plan.

Yesterday in Nova Scotia, 260 jobs were lost at the Magna plant in North Sydney, 46 jobs were lost at Fundy Gypsum in Windsor, there were major layoffs at both Bowater and Minas Basin Pulp and Power, and the lobster fishery is in trouble.

Canadians sent us here to Parliament to work hard and protect Canadian jobs.

Why is the Prime Minister shutting this Parliament down before the job is done? Why is he walking off his job, having done nothing to save the jobs of Canadians?