Debates of Sept. 29th, 2009

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in today's Journal de Montréal, a piece on the Liberal Party leader reads, “It is not clear whether his love for Quebec, which he professes endlessly, is real or a ploy”.

The Liberal leader knows a thing or two about ploys.

His ploys and his lack of leadership have just created more victims in the Liberal family in Quebec. It is not surprising really. He changes his mind as often as he changes his shirt.

What the hon. member for Bourassa has just discovered about his leader is something the Conservatives from Quebec have known for a very long time. A Liberal leader cannot be trusted.

His vision of Quebec and Canada is the image of his own reflection in the mirror. To heck with the best interests of the nation. What is important to the Liberal leader is that he gain power, whatever the cost.

A Liberal leader truly cannot be trusted.

Forestry Industry

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, I met with workers at the Kruger plant in Trois-Rivières. Soon, 500 of them will lose their jobs. They are worried about their families, their retirement and their future. Yesterday, we learned that because of this government's incompetence, forestry companies are going to have to pay the Americans millions of dollars more.

Why does this Prime Minister have nothing to say and nothing to offer to these workers in Trois-Rivières? Why?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition is talking about the ruling by an international tribunal, then of course, Canada will respect that ruling and will take action. That is the nature of our country.

In fact, we have programs to help the forestry sector. We also have a proposal before Parliament to improve employment insurance benefits, and I hope the Liberal Party will support these measures, which are important for workers and the unemployed.

The Economy

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to be able to count on the government to help them, even if they did not vote Conservative. But according to the report the Prime Minister released yesterday, it is clear that some Canadians are being penalized.

According to the government's own figures, the ridings in Quebec are receiving the lowest per capita infrastructure funding in Canada. Why?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this government is working with provincial and municipal governments, with colleges and universities and with the private sector on projects to turn the global recession around. I reported yesterday that we have identified more than 7,500 projects across Canada and that over 4,000 projects are now under way. That is what Canadians want us to do. It is crucial that we target the economy. That is the government's job. I encourage the opposition leader to do the same.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians should be able to count on their government to help them find jobs no matter how they vote and no matter where they live, but instead we have a government that is using infrastructure money like a rewards program. Quebec's unemployment rate is higher than the national average and yet Quebeckers are receiving the lowest per capita infrastructure funding in all of Canada.

How does the Prime Minister explain this? How does he explain his own numbers?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that is completely false. We are working with provincial and territorial governments across the country and there will be a more or less rough per capita distribution on all of these programs. The fact is that 7,500 projects have been identified and 4,000 are under way.

Rather than flailing around trying to come up with excuses for an unnecessary and wasteful election, the Leader of the Opposition and his party should be supporting the economic action plan and supporting these projects in Quebec and all across this country.

Infrastructure

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer asked the government to reveal details about its infrastructure spending. What did the Conservatives say? No, never.

Better still, in its report, the government said that the business credit availability program was working well in Quebec, but refused to provide any figures.

Canadians and Quebeckers deserve better. When will this government tell the truth to Canadians and Quebeckers? They deserve to know the truth.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, every detail of every project announced and implemented is already on the Internet. We feel we must report on progress to the people of every region of Canada and of Quebec.

But the real success is that we are working well with the government of Jean Charest; we are working well with municipalities; and we are taking action and producing real results for Quebeckers and for Canadians in every region of this country.

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, he is not answering the question. Why does he not want to disclose these figures to the Parliamentary Budget Officer?

The economic action plan report shows that the government has zero credibility. Less than 1% of the funds allocated to green infrastructure has been spent.

According to the report, only 105 jobs will be created in Quebec in colleges and universities by 2010. But we are losing 5,800 jobs per week.

When will the Conservatives stop making misleading statements and start telling Canadians the truth?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have put aside partisan politics and are working very well with every provincial government. They have done an outstanding job in response to this crisis, as have the municipalities throughout the country. All of the announcements we made are on the World Wide Web, on the Internet for Canadians to see.

However, if the member wants to talk about her province, let us look at this. The Quebec economy is in better shape than the rest of the country because its infrastructure spending is flowing. Who said that? Her premier, Jean Charest.

Forestry Industry

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

The Prime Minister's stimulus package is unfair to Quebec. Yesterday's progress report states in black and white, on page 142, that the government has given almost $10 billion to the auto sector, concentrated in Ontario, and only $70 million to the forestry sector, which is concentrated in Quebec and where job losses continue to accumulate.

Does this not prove that the Prime Minister's stimulus package does nothing for the forestry sector and Quebec regions?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the forestry sector across the country is facing serious challenges. That is why the government has responded with a number of measures, not only in the economic action plan, but also in previous budgets.

For example, we increased funding for BDC and EDC in order to help this sector. Moreover, the Quebec forestry sector has received $7 billion just from this program. I hope that the Bloc Québécois will support these important programs in future.

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

Mr. Speaker, with respect to EDC, the Prime Minister is referring to guarantees in the event of buyer bankruptcies.This does absolutely nothing for corporate liquidity.

I would like to ask him a question: is it just a fluke that we suddenly find, in his wonderful stimulus package, on page 142, $10 billion dollars for the auto sector in Ontario and $70 million for forestry throughout Canada? Quebec only has a share of the $70 million.

Is that the fairness the Prime Minister is talking about—everything for Ontario, nothing for Quebec?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. As I just said, the Quebec forestry industry has received $7 billion from just one EDC program. There are many other programs in the economic action plan and in this government's previous budgets.

The problem is that the Bloc voted against all these measures to help Quebec's forestry industry. They are playing politics at the expense of Quebec's forestry sector and hurting it. The Bloc should support these measures as they are important to this industry.

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is refusing to proceed with a fair and equitable division of the countervailing duties imposed by the London tribunal on companies exporting softwood lumber to the United States. Instead of paying the $68 million countervailing duties tab and charging it to companies that have exceeded their quota, the federal government will allow the Americans to collect duties on future exports, thereby possibly penalizing Quebec businesses unduly.

Is this an approach that the Minister of International Trade considers fair and equitable?

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

Mr. Speaker, the international tribunal has given us a very clear ruling. We are not very happy about it, but we have to abide by it and that is what we plan to do. It is very important to note that the revenues will be recovered by the Province of Quebec.

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if the government wants to be fair and equitable, it should have each province cover its own pro-rated share of the countervailing duties.

Given that Ontario companies were responsible for 60% of the quota overruns, will the government make sure that Ontario pays 60% of the countervailing duties?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is an interesting idea, but this is an international court ruling. I suggest that the hon. member take a look at the ruling because the Province of Ontario is subject to exactly the same ruling.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, in yesterday's economic update, the Prime Minister indicated that he intends to proceed with more corporate tax cuts. He will slash $8 billion from the taxes owed by some of the biggest and most profitable companies in Canada.

However, at the same time he will raise $26 billion more from Canadians with an EI payroll tax increase and the dreaded HST.

Will the Prime Minister come clean? Why is he picking the pockets of Canadians but giving big handouts to the big banks and the oil companies?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government has not raised taxes and has no intention of raising taxes. We hope to continue to see taxes fall.

Just on that particular question, because the leader of the NDP raises the case of business taxes, yes, business taxes are falling and we will soon have the lowest rate in the G7.

I noticed that a recent report of the World Economic Forum says that partly because of this and other measures, Canada will be only one of two developed countries in the world to come out of this recession in a better competitive place than we were before, and that is the goal of the government.

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not think the average Canadian who will have their pocket picked by this new HST tax will feel the same way.

The Conservatives rewarded Ontario and British Columbia for harmonizing their sales taxes. They gave those provinces a $7 billion bribe for raising taxes.

Can the Prime Minister tell us what kind of gift he plans to give Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island for raising their sales taxes?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP leader seems to be quite confused.

Whether to harmonize a provincial sales tax with a federal sales tax is a decision made by the province. On the contrary, this government lowered the GST twice. The NDP members voted against it and argued against it both times.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, they cheer. That is why nobody thinks they have any credibility when they talk about sales taxes.