House of Commons Hansard #162 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was regard.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister's officials have given him the answer to my question. He is choosing not to share that with Canadians.
The Minister of Employment and Social Development said that the government would refrain from using the contingency reserve. The Minister of Finance said the opposite, that the reserve might be used. All this ad libbing by the government is bad for Canada's economy.
Which of these two ministers, who head major departments, is right?
Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, there is no difference in our economic forecast. We base it on private sector economists, all 15 of them. We take the average, and that is what we base our projections on.
Last week the leader of the Liberal Party told the hundreds of thousands of people working in the manufacturing sector that they should find another job. He has turned his back on manufacturing just at the moment that the manufacturing sector is emerging from the recession. It is the worst possible message to send to—
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians support the right of our forces to defend themselves when they are sent into harm's way. The government said our ground forces would advise and assist, but not accompany, Iraqi troops. Now we find out they are routinely on the front lines. Why did the government mislead Canadians?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure we could train troops without accompanying them. We have been very clear that we would be in the business of assisting and training these individuals.
What I do not get is the Liberal position on this, which is that we should know the outcome before we get in there and expect others to do the heavy lifting. That has never been the Canadian way for 200 years. We do not stand on the sidelines; we get out there and stand up for those who are oppressed.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives can bury their heads in the sand, but they cannot hide from the fact that they have done such damage to our economy.
There have been 375,000 manufacturing jobs lost since 2006. There is a 13% youth unemployment rate. Family incomes are shrinking, and household debts have skyrocketed to 163% of disposable income.
Canadian families need help now, so why are the Conservatives making corporate giveaways a priority?
Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I am proud that our government has presented a benefit plan for four million Canadian families, every one of them, a plan whereby two-thirds of the benefits will go to low- and middle-income families, with 25% going to families earning less than $30,000 a year. We are also providing a tax benefit for 780,000 small businesses, 90% of all businesses.
We are doing what is right for Canadians. What the NDP proposes would create deficits. It would cancel the tax plan and go back to the old days of high spending and high debt.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives remain in denial, but job losses are mounting and the inequality gap between the privileged few and the middle class keeps on growing.
It is time to make the economy work for all Canadians. Instead, the government is taking billions away from hard-working families and giving it away to the wealthy few who do not need it.
Will the Conservatives finally admit their backward economic policies are failing the middle class?
Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite does not seem to listen to the answers. I said that two-thirds of the benefits will be going to low- and middle-income Canadians.
There has been a 45% increase in the net worth of Canadians since we took office, a 10% increase in real income, and 14% for lower-income Canadians. We have created 1.2 million new jobs and we are continuing to grow at a superior rate to that of developed countries.
We have a lot to be proud of.
Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has postponed his budget. He claims he needs time to see where the economy is headed.
The Minister of Employment, however, is ready to get out the axe. He is suggesting that there will be another round of cuts in public services. He seems more keen to impose his ideological agenda than to take measures to stimulate the economy and job-creating businesses.
When will the government show some economic leadership and address the needs of the middle class?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance just said, 1.2 million jobs have been created since the global recession and we continue to make significant investments in labour market training.
For example, we just launched the Canada apprentice loan, which will increase the number of young Canadians who apprentice in specialized trades and end up in very good jobs.
We will keep making these investments and reduce the tax burden on Canadians in order to create jobs.
Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' deplorable management is hurting the Canadian economy.
Thousands of jobs have been lost since the beginning of the year. In the past three weeks, Target, Suncor, Sony, Bombardier, Mexx and Groupe Épicia have announced major layoffs. Job losses and bankruptcies are mounting, and the government is just watching from the sidelines.
Why is the government refusing to show economic leadership? Why has it abandoned the middle class?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is absolutely wrong.
Our government has made job creation its top priority. That is why 1.2 million jobs have been created since the global recession.
In addition, as I just said, we have cut taxes and employment insurance benefits to help small businesses create new jobs, created new loans for apprentices and put forward a number of initiatives to support training. Thanks to these measures, we will continue to create new jobs.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government is standing idly by while Canada loses thousands of jobs and slides into economic uncertainty. It is stubbornly refusing to face reality.
During the 2008 election campaign, on the eve of a major economic crisis, the Conservatives told us that there was no problem and that everything was under control. The opposition parties had to unite to force the government to react.
Rather than dragging his feet and refusing to face the facts, why does the Minister of Finance not show some leadership and help our businesses so that they can create jobs?
Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the government is focusing on what is important to Canadians: jobs and economic growth.
Over 1.2 million net new jobs have been created since the recession. The IMF and the OECD both predict that Canada will be among the G7 economies with the strongest growth in the coming years. According to a report published by the International Labour Organization on wages, Canada has the second-best wages of all the G20 countries.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives insist on denying the facts. We cannot wait until April for the government to bring down a budget and take action. Thousands of jobs are at stake here.
What we need is leadership, but the government seems more disorganized than ever. The Minister of Employment is calling for a new round of cuts, while the President of the Treasury Board is telling us that is not necessary. The Minister of Finance does not know whether he will have enough revenue to balance his budget, but he knows he will have enough money to bring in his ineffective income-splitting policy.
Why does the minister not give us an economic and fiscal update right now, so that Canadians know where we stand?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The NDP's only economic policy is to increase spending, taxes, the deficit and debt. All that does is kill jobs. The NDP's policy is wrong-headed.
This government will continue to balance the budget and support training for young Canadians and the unemployed. We will continue to reduce the tax burden to create new jobs.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the federal budget, it seems with Conservatives it is different day, different minister, different answers. If panic and confusion could get us out of this mess, Conservatives would actually be doing something right, but their economic plans and their credibility are in tatters. Maybe it was the employment minister just jumping the gun a little bit when he let slip that big cuts were coming in order to fix his own government's mess.
Will the minister confirm that he is willing to cut services to all Canadians just to pay for his reckless income-splitting scheme?
Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we will not be cutting expenditures. We will be honouring our commitments to Canadians. We will be providing tax breaks to four million Canadian families and tax breaks to small businesses. We will continue on our low-tax plan for jobs and growth. We will reject the high-tax, high-spend policies of the NDP, which would bring us to ruin.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, this is what their policies got us. They lost 400,000 manufacturing jobs, and just last year when things were supposedly good, the Canadian economy grew slower than our population grew, and these guys want a pat on the back. Everyone can see that Conservatives delaying the budget is pure politics.
Former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page said that in spite of their rhetoric, Conservatives are bad economic managers, that they built their budgets on a “house of cards”. The Bank of Canada and the private sector economists are all saying our economy is in real trouble, but just as in 2008, the Conservatives are pretending that there is nothing to worry about.
Why will the Conservatives not come clean with Canadians and give us a real fiscal update on the situation now and be straight with Canadians for once?
Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, whenever I have an opportunity to attend an international conference, I am struck by how positive the experts, decision-makers, and economists from around the world are in the way they view Canada and the Canadian economy. Certainly that was the view at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
In contrast to that, the opposition members are mired in negativity and a desire to talk down Canada's success, and they do that with all their lopsided presentations. Canadians have a more positive view of Canada, a more accurate view. It is our view. We will not talk down Canada. We will—
Ryan Cleary NDP St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice is saying that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are demanding a CETA “slush fund”. Now that is coming from the minister who used a military search and rescue helicopter to taxi him from a fishing trip. It is also not true. What my province deserves is a “transition” fund for “development and renewal”, because that is word for word what the trade minister's chief of staff and the Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency promised my province.
Why will the minister not honour that promise?
Rob Moore ConservativeMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the past, we remain open; our government remains open to a transition initiative that includes support for displaced workers, research and development, as well as innovation. However, this fund was always intended to compensate hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for actual losses arriving out of the removal of MPRs. It was never intended to be a blank cheque that could be used to disadvantage other provinces.
Chrystia Freeland Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, last week the Bank of Canada said that low oil prices will “weigh significantly on the Canadian economy.” The bank acted on its grave concerns by lowering rates to an astonishing 0.75%, yet the Minister of Finance has the gall to pretend, as he has done today, that the Canadian economy is in “a good space”. His actions belie his own words. Why else would he delay the budget?
When will the Conservatives come clean with Canadians and present a plan to stimulate growth and create jobs rather than cling to their imprudent and expensive tax cuts for the Canadians who need them the least?
