House of Commons Hansard #28 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.

Topics

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

We did it. Therefore, you do it.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

--if that hon. member would care to close his mouth long enough to listen. There is a reason that God gave us one mouth and two ears.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, for allowing me to continue while he is belabouring the points over there.

I want to emphasize the fact—

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

I would ask for a little order in the House.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, Beauchesne's is clear when it states that all members are hon. members.

I am sitting in my chair trying to listen to the response that the minister is attempting to give in place of the government House leader when I posed the question to the government House leader. I was actually quiet. He is making an accusation that I should be quiet when I was quiet and was listening to the member.

If the member was actually paying attention in terms of who was listening and who was not, he should not have made those comments.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. I would ask the hon. member to come to order. I believe there was considerable disorder in the House and I ask for respect from all members while one member is speaking. It is very difficult to hear answers and questions.

I would ask the hon. minister to conclude.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

Madam Speaker, I beg your forgiveness. I was hearing voices from that side but I do pay attention to you, Madam Speaker.

We need to focus on what is important here, Canadians. Who did we talk to for 37 days during the election campaign? I spoke to thousands of my constituents, as did every member in this House. They actually understood what was in this bill. They supported what was in this bill and they gave us a majority mandate to move forward with this budget.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Madam Speaker, I find it ironic that the member across the way viewed the last election as the Conservative government's effort to listen to Canadians when they denied Canadians the ability to ask the leader of the Conservative Party any questions throughout the course of that entire election period. That constitutes listening on their behalf. That does not work for us in the New Democratic Party. We believe that when we say we are going to listen, we actually listen.

The concern with this is that the government is falling in love with the hammer of closure. There is no more draconian measure that a government can use. The way that the government justifies this is by saying that the Liberals used to do it when they were in government. It is as if the standard that the government is setting itself by is how the Liberals conducted themselves when they had majority governments.

This is dangerous for the government and it is certainly dangerous for this place and for our democracy. The Conservatives are taking a convenient but incorrect lesson from the last election. They are taking a lesson that this majority gave them the power to shut down debate and, more dangerously, not change their ideology or opinion or legislation when the circumstances have changed underneath them.

This is most dangerous for our economy and our country. I plead with the government that a day of debate over our economy is not enough. The Conservatives did not have it during the election, they did not allow Canadians in the door and now is the time. This is what this place is constructed for and what it is meant for.

We need to allow this place to do its work and allow the elected members of this place to our work. The debate should not be shut down. You need to get out of the ideological trap you have set for yourselves and get to work on putting people back to work.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

I would remind all hon. members to direct their comments and questions to the Chair. The hon. Minister of State for Finance.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

Madam Speaker, I listened to my hon. colleague's questions and comments about how important it is that we listen to Canadians. We did listen to Canadians. We listened to Canadians' reaction to what was in the budget that was first tabled on March 22, and then again in June, promoting job creation and economic growth through a temporary hiring credit for small business.

Resoundingly, across the country, businesses said that, yes, that would help them and that it would help them to stimulate jobs. That is what Canadians said to us and that is why we are moving forward with this budget implementation act, to ensure we can get this through so more jobs can be created.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

NDP

Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the minister scolded us a few minutes ago for voting against infrastructure investments. But that should not surprise them. We know this government has a habit of bending the rules, diverting funds and using infrastructure programs to shower gifts upon their friends, as the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka has done. It is quite disturbing.

Yesterday, the Auditor General said, yet again, that the rules had been broken. We need a responsible, accountable, transparent government. But that is not what we are getting with the Conservatives. The official opposition, the NDP, is asking for more time to study the budget implementation. This budget makes poor choices, is full of holes, has the wrong priorities and gives billions of dollars in tax cuts to banks and big oil, which have no need for them. This budget does not fulfill any of the real needs of the people. It ignores poverty and social housing. It makes no mention of the environment, research and development or the future. We need more time because we do not want to leave any stone unturned. We want to ask the government all the right questions.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

Madam Speaker, what I think I heard in that rather rambling question was what we were doing to help Canadians.

I will talk about one of the other items in this legislation that should be accepted and supported by all members in the House, which is expanding tax support for clean energy generation. In fact, we are encouraging green investments. We hear all across this country, whether it is in Atlantic Canada, here in Ontario or in the west, industries asking for some support to green up their industries, to make their industries more environmentally friendly. I hear this from the coal-fired generation plants and from the oil sector in my neighbourhood.

We have put in the legislation a way for the tax system to encourage that. I would implore all hon. members to support these tax initiatives.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Garry Breitkreuz Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Madam Speaker, I would ask the minister to briefly comment on what the bill does for families. I have a family and I represent many families, as I am sure every member in the House does. Would he make some observations as to why the passage of this legislation in a timely manner is so important?

I also want to make an observation before he answers that I have been in the House for quite some time and I have never, ever seen such a stark contrast between the opposition and the government as I have now. The proposal for large, big spending programs; going further into debt, something the opposition should not be proud of; driving our deficits even higher and going further into debt--how does that affect families?

On this side, we like to keep government spending down. We want to ensure taxes remain low. How does that boost the economy? How does that help families? There are some key principles at stake and maybe the member could comment on these.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Saskatchewan, who has been a very strong supporter of family values and helping families. That is why we continue on with some of the programs we started in budget 2010 and continued on into budget 2011.

The family caregiver tax credit would assist caregivers of all types of infirm dependent family members. This is a serious issue with many families who are caring for infirm family members. We all know that infirm family members certainly get the most love and attention at home, but the cost may be prohibitive. Therefore, we put in a tax credit for those people who wish to keep their infirm relatives at home. That is important for families.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Madam Speaker, I note that the government tabled the notice of time allocation motion on the same day that it tabled the bill. In other words, it tabled the bill, which is an inch or so thick and a very complicated document, for us to consider in the House of Commons, and decided at the same time that there had been enough debate. It tabled this notice of motion on the same day to cut off debate.

Government members talk about the fact that they won the election and received a majority government with a little under 40% of the vote, so they now have four years to govern. What is not clear to me is why they are not open to having a few days or even a few weeks of debate on the hundreds of pages in the bill before it inevitably will pass.

Why is the government so opposed to having a democratic process in the House?

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

Madam Speaker, I am not going to dwell on this. The important thing is that we have had a debate and a discussion with Canadians.

We had a debate when the budget was tabled on June 6 and finally passed on June 16. There was debate during the parliamentary committee process when witnesses were brought to committee to talk about some of the things that are important to their industries and their sectors. The not-for-profit industry supports many of the pieces in the legislation and spoke at committee about what was positive. They spoke about the fact that we need to get this bill passed.

We have debated this. It has been debated on the floor before. It is not as if the budget was just tabled. This is the budget implementation act, part two.

We have had the debate. Everyone has read the bill. It is time that we passed it and moved on to provide this good news to Canadians.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

NDP

Dennis Bevington NDP Western Arctic, NT

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives' approach here is that there have not been any changes to the budget and that we really have debated it fully, so there is no requirement to spend time on it. That approach flies in the face of what is happening with the economy.

I will refer to chapter 5 of the low-tax plan for jobs and growth. When we look at the plan for a balanced budget, we see that the government has charts that show what happens when we have a 1% decline in our GDP. They show a $3 billion to $4 billion increase in our deficit, and that is exactly what has happened. Many factors have changed in the economy. Those changes must change the government's plans, because it is falling behind on its plans.

We need to talk about this. We need to understand where our economy is going in relation to the budget that came out last March.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

Madam Speaker, the matter before us today is simply about moving forward with a plan that has been accepted. It was accepted by Canadians. It was actually accepted by the House of Commons on June 16 to move forward. We are now implementing the measures that were approved through the House.

This is second reading. Everyone here is well aware of that. When the bill passes through the House, it will go to committee stage for a full debate there. The other processes will follow that. There will be ample debate after the four days that we have put forward.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Bloc

André Bellavance Bloc Richmond—Arthabaska, QC

Madam Speaker, democracy is being denied as a direct result of this gag order.

This should not come as a surprise to anyone here. When the Conservatives had a minority, beginning in 2006, a former adviser to the Prime Minister, Tom Flanagan, told the Conservatives to be patient, because once they had a majority, they could bulldoze over everything and do whatever they like. And that is exactly what they are doing.

With this bill, Quebeckers would have liked to talk about a Canada-wide securities commission. They would have liked to talk about a government that is once again pillaging the employment insurance fund without offering anything for unemployed workers. They would have also liked to talk about the government's decision to cut public funding of political parties.

So I would like to ask the government what it is so afraid of that would make it abuse democracy in this manner and prevent parliamentarians from doing their jobs and asking questions on behalf of Quebeckers.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Menzies Conservative Macleod, AB

Madam Speaker, I have heard my hon. colleague stand in the House and ask questions specifically about the Quebec wage earners who have been caught in one of the most unfortunate situations that any employee can be caught in, which is when their employer goes into receivership.

I am sure he has read the portion of the budget in which we propose to implement a measure called the wage earner protection program. It will help protect those individuals. Going forward, it will help protect employees who work for companies like those in his riding. They will be protected during unfortunate incidents of employers going into bankruptcy or receivership.

We think it is very important for those employees to have this protection and to have it as soon as we can get it through the House.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings at this time and put forthwith the question on the motion now before the House.

The question is on the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Bill C-13—Time Allocation MotionKeeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.