Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Vancouver Kingsway.
I rise to speak against the implementation of the HST by the Conservative government and the rush to push the HST legislation through with the help of the Liberal and Bloc opposition parties.
We should really be debating measures that would actually help people. While workers from Nortel watch their pensions evaporate at the same time as the executives of the company receive ludicrous bonuses, while foreign ownership wages attacks on the workers of the Canadian mining industry, and while pulp and paper producers reel from body blows inflicted by a government that refuses to stand up to unfair trade practices in the United States, we debate saddling the average consumer with a tax bill to replace the revenue lost to irresponsible corporate tax cuts.
It is obvious that the NDP is the only true opposition party in this place. We are the only party willing to stand up for Canadians on the issues that matter most to them. If some are wondering why we are opposing the HST and its fast-tracking, let me tell them why. It is because it is the wrong tax at the wrong time. It is because people continue to feel the impact of an economic downturn and do not need another burdensome tax.
Families, laid off workers, people on fixed incomes, students, pensioners and especially single women pensioners, who are some of the poorest people in Canada, will now have to dish out more of their limited incomes to buy basic necessities, or do without them.
While Ontarians and residents of B.C. receive a bigger tax hit on everything from haircuts to funerals, big corporations walk away with an additional $4 billion in tax cuts.
Do we really think that corporations like Scotiabank, which boasts a quarterly profit of $872 million and a CEO who is paid $7.5 million, should get additional tax cuts while people in northern Ontario will have to pay an average of $330 more for gas? Gas prices in places like Wawa, Manitouwadge, White River, Hornepayne, Elliot Lake, Blind River, Nairn Centre, Kapuskasing, Hearst and Smooth Rock Falls border on the insane and now will be 8% more.
There is no recognition from the government that the cost of living in northern Ontario is much higher than in the south, which means that the impact of this tax grab will be disproportionately larger among northerners. Does that seem fair or equitable? Another reason we are against the implementation of the HST is the shirking of Canada's statutory, contractual and common law obligations to consult with first nations.
First nations will be impacted greatly by the implementation of this blended tax. They are currently some of the most marginalized, vulnerable and poorest people in Canada. In Ontario, the point of sale has proven beneficial for them and their ability to better provide for their families while on very limited incomes. Having gone through years of this kind of treatment at the hands of the federal Liberals, first nations had hoped they would finally get a government that would address these inequities affecting first nations. This is certainly not the case.
Earlier today, I shared a message from Chief Franklin Paibomsai. For the record, I would like to add a few more of the names of those who sent me similar messages from Birch Island on beautiful Manitoulin Island, these being Kyle McGregor, Gabriel Paul and Valerie McGregor. As mentioned yesterday, Grand Council Chief Patrick "Wedaseh" Madahbee of the Anishinabek First Nation has written government officials to raise objections on behalf of the approximately 52,000 people within 42 first nations communities in Ontario and other first nations people in Ontario. They are outraged by the government's violation of statutory and contractual rights to consultation.
I would like to remind the government that it is not only first nations people who will be impacted by the removal of the point of sale tax exemption. Ontario farmers, who are already facing a very difficult time, will also be impacted. Farmers currently present their farm organization card and sign for the exemption. Not under the HST. They will now have to fork out taxes ahead of time and hopefully will receive some of those back at tax time.
I just want to backtrack a little bit and talk about first nations again. I have a couple of letters I would like to read from some of my first nations communities.
The following letter is from Roger Boyer:
It is our hope that you are standing strong with your Anishinabek voters against this colonial HST. Remember us when you vote and the enormous impact it will have on your Anishinabek population and other individuals who will be impacted as well.
He signs it, “I.e. Disabled”, because he is disabled.
I have another one here from Peggy Domingue, the health care coordinator of the Chapleau Cree Health Services:
I just wanted to go on record to object to the proposed HST tax. I would also ask for your support in protecting our Aboriginal Treaty rights and for your vote against this tax.
Thanking you in advance for your assistance in this matter.
Peggy, you can be reassured that the NDP will be voting against this tax.
I have another one from Chief Irene Kells of the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation on beautiful Manitoulin Island:
On behalf of Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, I wish to express to you, as Chief of our community, our opposition to the Ontario-Canada proposed Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).
Our community, alongside with most other First Nations people in Ontario, have treaty and Aboriginal rights to tax exemption. The HST, as proposed, takes away that right. This new system does not provide for point of sale tax exemption for our people-which currently exists within the Ontario Retail Sales Tax system. All purchases made by First Nations people are potentially taxable especially if the purchased goods are not delivered to the reserve.
We have voiced our concerns to both the Province and Canada-calling on them to work with us in finding acceptable resolution to this; in essence to maintain the point of sale tax exemption.
But the reactions and/or inactions are extremely disconcerting to us on many levels.
First of all our communities were never consulted before Ontario and Canada entered into the agreement to negotiate the new system-Integrated Tax Co-ordination Agreement-CITCA.
Furthermore, the impacts of HST will hit our communities and citizens hard.
Many of our people live in poverty or close to it and with HST in place as proposed their struggle will be endured even more.
Impacts will be similar among non-First Nations people-especially those on fixed incomes-lower to middle class families. A single sales tax system will now see goods and services taxed, that weren't before, ie: gasoline, heating fuels, tobacco, taxi fares, fast foods, professional and personal care services-essentially what most people need or use every day.
Again, on behalf of Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, I express our opposition to the HST and we will do everything necessary to stand alongside our brothers and sisters province-wide in voicing our opposition-standing up for our rights.
Please find enclosed a Band Council Resolution which speaks of our community's unity against the interference of tax exemption rights for our people.
It is unfortunate that our people are yet again, forced to defend our rights against governments who chose to ignore them.
Chief Irene Kells can rest assured that the NDP is doing just that today.
The Conservatives would have people believe that they are the defenders of the tax. Let us look more closely at the NDP and Conservative records on sales taxes.
In 1990, the Conservatives, under Brian Mulroney, passed the GST in the House of Commons by a vote of 144 to 114. The NDP members voted against the GST.
In 1991, the Conservative federal government entered into an agreement with the Premier of Saskatchewan, Grant Devine, to harmonize the GST with the provincial sales tax.
When he was elected as premier of Saskatchewan, the first thing Roy Romanow did was announce that he was doing away with tax harmonization.
In 1996, the Conservatives backed the Liberal plan to harmonize the GST with the PST in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The NDP voted against that harmonization.
By the way, the government responsible for the largest tax reduction in Canadian history is the NDP.
Under an NDP government, Saskatchewan's PST went from 9% to 5%, a 44% reduction. This is an even bigger reduction than Stephen Harper's two-point decrease in the GST, which amounts to a 29% reduction.
I know my time is just about up. I do have a lot of other letters that I will read, but I am sure I will have time to read them during questions and comments.