Debates of March 22nd, 2013

Tariff Reductions

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I applaud economic action plan 2013 and its sharp focus on keeping Canada's economy strong while also delivering key measures that support Canadian families.

In order to lower prices for Canadian families, the budget will eliminate all tariffs on baby clothing. My son Jack turns 21 months old today and is going through clothes like wildfire. Parents of infants will notice this change.

Tariff reductions will also keep prices low on ice skates, hockey equipment, skis and other equipment to promote physical fitness. This will not only leave money in the pockets of Canadians but it will also lower the price gap between the U.S. and Canada, something we monitor closely.

On Saturday morning, I know that moms and dads in the Garnet Rickard arena in Bowmanville and on the slopes of Brimacombe ski resort in Durham will be talking about this family-friendly budget.

Here is what Dean LaPierre of the Windsor Minor Hockey Association had to say:

This is awesome. This will definitely help because the cost of equipment is the main thing people cite when deciding to register. ... It could cost $600 to $700 to equip one player, double if the kid's is a goalie...so this is a great.

Indeed it is great. I hope the NDP supports families and this budget.

National Water Strategy

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, water is our planet's most vital resource.

Humans can survive for about one month without food, but only three days without water. Without water, there is no agriculture to feed the rapidly expanding world population. Without water, we cannot contain the spread of disease through proper sanitation. Without sufficient water supplies, economic growth is stifled.

A wise Canadian water expert once said that if climate change is a shark, the shark's teeth are climate change's impact on water.

The reason we must do more to combat and adapt to climate change is that disequilibrium of the hydrologic cycle owing to climate change means that the earth cannot fully support our human, ecosystem and economic needs. Water science is one of the keys to overcoming future water challenges, whether from climate change, pollution or overconsumption.

In 2007 the House adopted my motion calling on the government to create a true national water strategy, complete with a vigorous water science component. World Water Day is an ideal starting point for launching a real effort to bring about such a strategy.

The Environment

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be proud of the steps our government has taken to protect the environment.

The opposition parties deal in hot air and rhetoric, in contrast to the actual action our government is taking—action to improve the air we breathe, the land we occupy and the environment we work in.

While the Leader of the Opposition was spending time trying to undermine Canadian jobs and economic prosperity in Washington, our Minister of Finance was diligently working on a plan to secure our economic future and protect our environment.

The $325 million announcement in yesterday's budget for Sustainable Development Technology Canada will help to develop clean new technologies that will create efficiencies for businesses and sustainable economic development for all Canadians.

Our government recognizes the link between protection of the environment and security of our economy. Unlike the NDP and the Liberals, we do not believe one has to take a back seat to the other.

The Budget

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's budget was beached before it arrived, like the S. S. Minnow's three-hour tour or an oil spill ship headed to a Conservative photo op. For the Conservatives, it is full steam ahead on cuts: to pensions, health care and EI.

On top of their self-congratulatory speech full of unrealistic predictions, Conservatives have even introduced new taxes. That is right: tax hikes. In black and white, on page 331 of the budget, there are new taxes on safety deposit boxes, new taxes on credit unions and even new taxes on hospital parking fees.

How does charging people more when they visit a hospital help Canadians? No wonder the Minister of Finance slipped on his new pair of shoes and ran away from the budget as soon as he could.

New Democrats are united against these reckless cuts and will continue to hold Conservatives to account for their mismanagement and deceit.

Gilligan was funny. The government's economic failure is not.

The Economy

[Ryan Leef, Conservative, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand in the House and report that yesterday the Minister of Finance delivered Canada's economic action plan 2013.

It is not just a plan; it is the plan for economic growth, jobs and long-term prosperity. It is a plan that includes a new building Canada plan, the Canada job grant, investment in the manufacturing industry, tariff relief for baby clothes and sports equipment, increased funding for the Last Post Fund and the list goes on.

While our government is taking action and delivering results for Canadians, the Leader of the Opposition is advocating for increased and reckless spending, increased taxes, and is trash-talking Canada. In fact, if it were up to the Leader of the Opposition and his party, they would impose a $20 billion job-killing carbon tax that would raise the price on everything including gas, electricity and groceries.

On this side of the House, we will continue to stand up for Canadians. Our government will continue to support jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.

Employment

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, 240,000 young people do not have jobs. There are more unemployed youth now than there were before the recession. Those are the facts.

What is this budget doing? It is downloading astronomical costs onto the provinces, playing games with worker training and taxing hospital parking. What an insult.

Why did the Conservatives not use this budget to focus on jobs rather than on these misplaced priorities?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, that is not at all the case.

The priority of the budget tabled in the House is to create jobs. We are very proud that over 900,000 new jobs have been created since the end of the recession.

The opposition's real choice is to support the new measures set out in the budget: the Canada job grant, the creation of apprenticeship opportunities, and a tax break for new manufacturing equipment.

All these measures will create jobs, and the NDP must support them.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, rather than explain this budget to Canadians, this minister scooted off to China to try to sell this gong show budget.

Yesterday's budget made it clear that Conservatives have run out of steam. They are continuing last year's cuts to health care and to pensions, adding Mike Harris-style mandatory workfare for first nations and playing a shell game with skills training for Canadians. Their smoke and mirrors cannot hide these facts.

When will the Conservatives admit that they are downloading billions and billions of dollars onto the backs of the provinces?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the budget presented yesterday would give a 6% increase in health care funding to the provinces and territories. The budget yesterday would increase support for post-secondary education by 3%. The budget yesterday is squarely focused on what matters to Canadians: creating jobs, economic growth and securing our long-term prosperity.

Will the New Democrats, for once, put aside their blind ideology and support the Canada job grant and new measures for apprentices? Why do the New Democrats not stand up for people looking for work?

Infrastructure

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, here is who is blind in this conversation: a Minister of Finance who first claims that there would be an increase in infrastructure spending and then later has to admit,

there is less spending, [...] on [...] infrastructure projects [...].

That is $1.2 billion less, meaning less money for crumbling roads, less money for congested highways, less money for a starved public transit system. The Conservatives have lost their way and spend all of their time listening to their own rosy rhetoric instead of listening to Canadians.

When will the Conservatives drop the smoke and mirrors exercise and be honest with Canadians that $1.2 billion less spending on infrastructure would hurt them and hurt our fragile economy?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts. This is the largest long-term federal infrastructure commitment in Canada's history. We are investing in infrastructure to create jobs and long-term prosperity. Thanks to our investment infrastructures, we are making a real difference. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities stated that “[this] budget delivers significant gains for Canada's cities and communities”.

Why do the New Democrats not put aside their blind ideology, stand up and support municipalities and stand up and support the construction of bridges, roads and sewers? Why will they not do the right thing and finally redeem themselves?

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is Conservatives who should redeem themselves because the reality is we would have more than $1 billion less in infrastructure.

The reality is that over a billion dollars less is being invested in infrastructure. Even the Minister of Finance admitted it yesterday.

These cuts will cause the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. The rebuilding of vital roads and bridges will be delayed or even abandoned.

Why does the Minister of Finance not take infrastructure funding more seriously?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP is isolating itself.

Those who understand what is at stake support the budget.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities stated:

[The] budget delivers significant gains for Canada's cities and communities.

This is [also] a budget that delivers real gains for Canadians. [...] it will spur growth and job creation while laying the foundation for a more competitive economy.

Those who are in the infrastructure sector and who are working on the ground say that this budget would deliver for the Canadian people. Why do the New Democrats not support it?

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is too bad that it would deliver after the year 2020 and beyond.

The Minister of Finance admitted that he would cut infrastructure funding, right before he headed to the hills to avoid selling his budget. The fact is that for the next four years, federal infrastructure funding would be $4.7 billion lower, and there is still a $120 billion infrastructure deficit facing our communities. With tens of thousands of jobs on the line, crumbling bridges, roads in gridlock, transit being starved, why are the Conservatives taking this reckless approach?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the reason that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and others are supporting our approach and our budget is because there is a difference here. On this side, we support more results for infrastructure. On that side, they support more expensive programs. They want to spend on fattened union contracts and administrative costs. We want to deliver results, and we have. The average age of a piece of infrastructure in Canada has dropped to 14 years from 17 years. In other words, our infrastructure is newer today than at any time in the last three decades.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, today Canada has 260,000 jobs without people and more than 1.3 million people without jobs. Youth employment rates are five points worse than in 2007. Student debt is at $1 trillion, and over a third of Canadians in their late twenties are still living at home with their folks. The government calls the job skills gap the biggest challenge of our time, so why is there no new money for training and no new plan for five years?

Why are the Conservatives prepared to waste the potential of a generation of young Canadians?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, that is not the case at all. We have come forward with an economic action plan which is focused on fixing our country's skills shortage by getting Canadians new and better jobs. We are going to do something remarkable. We are going to ensure that people get trained for a job that actually exists. We are going to work co-operatively with the provinces and employers to get the job done. The initiatives put forward in this budget will make a real difference and help build upon the 950,000 net new jobs that this government has created since the bottom of the recession.

The Budget

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

Mr. Speaker, not only is there no new money for skills training, this budget actually freezes funding at 2007 levels, which was before the downturn. Today the need for training is even greater than it was then. Not just that, freezing the funding at 2007 levels means there has actually been a 10% decrease in terms of real dollars.

The Conservatives were right to call Canada's skills gap a crisis, but why are they being so wrong by putting in no resources to actually address it? Why is spending money on Conservative government advertising more important than investing in today's youth?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I did not even mention that we increased the transfers to the provinces to an unprecedented level, by 3%, to support post-secondary education. That is good news.

I can remember when the acting leader of the Liberal Party was premier of Ontario. He used to decry the cuts that the Liberal government made to provinces and territories, the cuts to post-secondary education, the cuts to health care. This government is there.

The Association of Canadian Community Colleges said:

Federal commitments...will encourage a reduction in barriers to Canada’s economic success, while maximizing the talents and advanced skills of Canadians.

Let us work together to help the unemployed get the skills and training they need to move to work.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has acquired the bad habit of never consulting the provinces. This is part and parcel of the Conservatives' narrow-mindedness. They do not listen to anyone—neither the opposition nor Canadians. The government listens only to the sound of its own voice. It imposes rather than consults.

The fact that the government did not bother to consult the provinces before unveiling its new plan for worker training is yet more evidence of this.

Why does the government have so much contempt for the provinces? Is this any way to manage a federation?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, economic action plan 2013 is focused on fixing our country's skills shortages by getting Canadians new or better jobs. For the first time, the Canada jobs grant will take skills training choices out of the hands of governments and put them where they belong, with employers and employees, so that we can create jobs. This will result in people getting trained for the jobs that actually exist.

We want to work with the provinces to take training from government to employers and employees. This is going to build upon our 950,000 net new jobs since the downturn in the recession.

Taxation

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by progressively eliminating the tax credit granted to people who contribute to labour-sponsored funds, the Conservatives are unnecessarily attacking a model of economic success that is unique to Quebec. Labour-sponsored funds have helped create and maintain tens of thousands of jobs in Quebec in all sectors. Their very existence is in jeopardy now that the government is abolishing tax credits for these funds.

Why are the Conservatives abolishing such a wonderful model of economic development in the middle of a period of economic instability?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the tax credit was not helping stimulate economic growth and job creation. That is what we learned from our consultations and independent experts, such as the OECD.

We are replacing the credit with the government's new venture capital strategy by investing $400 million. The Province of Ontario has also eliminated this tax credit.

The provinces are free to do what they want and to find their own means of investment. We will listen to the experts.

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, they claim that the economy is their priority, except they are sabotaging proven models of economic development.

More than 700,000 shareholders have contributed to labour-sponsored funds, which invest primarily in regional development. The tax credit is an incentive to invest. By eliminating the credit, the Conservatives are targeting 200,000 well-paid jobs.

Yet again yesterday, the Conservatives demonstrated their total lack of understanding of the economic reality in Quebec's regions. Will they reconsider this irresponsible measure that could cost thousands of jobs?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the tax credit was not working and the provinces are free to find other means of investment. We will listen to the experts.

We have seen the NDP's record and how they throw up roadblocks to job creation and investments in our country. We will not listen to the NDP either. We have created 950,000 jobs since the recession and we will continue to create jobs with the budget we just tabled.