Debates of May 5th, 2015

Taxation

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our low-tax plan for families is working. Under our Conservative government, the tax burden on Canadians is at its lowest level in more than 50 years. As part of that, every family with children will benefit from our new family tax cut and enhanced universal child care benefit.

The leader of the Liberal Party told us yesterday that he would take away our family tax cut and replace it with a family tax hike. The Liberal leader is also ideologically opposed to income splitting, and quite frankly seniors should be worried. That is why Canadians know it is only our government that can be trusted to keep taxes low and protect the benefits they already receive.

Prince Edward Island Election

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate all candidates who put their name on a ballot for yesterday's election in Prince Edward Island. The last month has been filled with hard-working campaigns on all sides, in every corner of the province. I know members of this House are looking forward to working together with all of the new island MLAs.

I want to sincerely congratulate Premier Wade MacLauchlan and his team. The premier has been gracious and optimistic throughout the campaign and will be a true champion for the people of Prince Edward Island, focusing on prosperity, engagement and helping our small province stand tall within our great country and around the world.

On behalf of all members of the House of Commons, congratulations to Premier MacLauchlan, the new Liberal government of Prince Edward Island and all members of the Prince Edward Island provincial legislature.

Taxation

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the leader of the Liberal Party presented a plan that focused on tax increases for middle-class Canadians. He is proposing to replace the family tax cut with a family tax hike.

The Liberal leader is promising to eliminate the universal child care benefit, which the Liberals have long said is spent by parents to buy beer and popcorn. He confirmed that he will increase taxes for families that earn less than $60,000 a year and use tax-free savings accounts to put money aside.

Middle-class Canadian families know that they can count on our Prime Minister and our Conservative government to keep their taxes low and protect the benefits they already receive.

Labour Law

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

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing Canadians will not tolerate, it is hypocrisy. That is why they were so surprised to see the member for Beauséjour attacking the rights of NDP employees in the media in the same week that the Liberal leader was trying to court the labour movement.

It seems as though the Liberals have realized that they cannot have it both ways. Either they protect workers' rights, through good times and bad, regardless of what the polls say, or they make empty speeches and change their tune when it suits them.

The Liberals have clearly made their choice. To quote Jerry Dias, the president of Unifor, the Liberal House leader's criticisms leave the impression that “workers' rights can be disregarded in the cause of cheap political theatre”.

We in the NDP made our choice a long time ago. We have always defended workers' rights, through good times and bad.

Taxation

[Jay Aspin, Conservative, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government's family tax cut and enhanced universal child care benefit will benefit 100% of families with kids. The vast majority of benefits go to low- and middle-income families. The leader of the Liberal Party plans to take this all away. Instead of giving the majority of low- and middle-income families a break, he will be taxing middle-class families, taxing small businesses and taxing seniors. The opposition's position is clear: raise taxes on the middle class. That is why we are the only ones Canadians can trust to lower taxes and balance the budget. The good people of Nipissing—Timiskaming know that our family tax cuts lower their taxes and the Liberal tax plan or hike increases their taxes.

International Trade

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the numbers do not lie. The Conservatives' economic policy is getting us nowhere. According to Statistics Canada, Canada's trade deficit has reached $3 billion. The Conservative government's policies are making Canadian companies less competitive and getting in the way of creating of good jobs.

Will the Conservatives do something about this? What is their plan for reducing the trade deficit?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, no government has done more to advance Canada's trading relationships. We concluded trade agreements with 38 different countries over 9 years. What is more, last year, Canada's trade surplus was $5.2 billion, which was a turnaround of $12 billion. Exports last year were up another 10% from the previous year.

Our government remains focused on creating jobs through aggressive trade promotion, while of course the NDP wants to raise taxes on the middle class. That is not what we are going to do.

Child Care

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative economic plan is failing Canada. Under its mismanagement, we just posted another record trade deficit, swelling to $3 billion in March alone.

The Conservative plan is also failing families that face layoffs and growing job uncertainty while struggling with rising costs, and still the Conservatives have no plan to create even a single affordable child care space. When will the Conservatives stop ignoring the needs of Canadian families and deliver the NDP's plan for $15 a day child care?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, what we recognize is that families across the country have a variety of child care needs. We refuse to dictate to Canadian families how they should be looking after their children. We refuse to say that, if they are not using a licensed daycare spot, they do not deserve support. That is not what we are saying. That is what the NDP says.

What we are saying is that every family in the country with children deserves support. That is what we are delivering in tax cuts, in direct benefits, and in other tax benefits, like our child fitness tax credit. We are supporting families. We are supporting their right to choose how they look after their children.

Industry

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, both the old-line parties have tax gifts for the wealthy instead of creating affordable child care spaces.

While our trade deficit is soaring, imports of industrial machinery actually fell. That is a bad sign for a manufacturing sector that suffered from Conservatives' neglect. We have lost more than 400,000 jobs under their watch alone. Fewer good manufacturing jobs means more families are struggling to pay the bills as costs like child care continue to rise. Will the Conservatives scrap handouts to the wealthy and instead invest in boosting job creation and creating affordable child care spaces?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, on the subject of manufacturing, in this year's budget we put forth accelerated capital cost allowance, which has been called for by the manufacturing sector for a long time.

While New Democrats may not like our policies when it comes to manufacturing, here is who is endorsing our budget: the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Railway Association of Canada, the Canadian Steel Producers Association, the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, and the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association. I could go on, but those who know what it takes to build manufacturing in Canada support our government and support our budget.

Public Safety

[Rosane Doré Lefebvre, NDP, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last night the NDP put forward amendments to scrap every provision of Bill C-51, yet Liberals and Conservatives voted to push C-51 ahead without any changes.

Legal experts, eminent Canadians, and former prime ministers all said the bill is dangerous and it should not go forward as is. How can Conservatives, who claim to stand up for individual freedoms, and how can Liberals, who say they defend the charter, continue to stand up and vote in favour of a bill that is so seriously flawed?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the real question is this: how can the NDP refuse to give our police the tools they need to protect Canadians?

How can they deny the fact that there were terrorist attacks in Canada in the past six months? The truth is that our government will continue to take responsible and balanced measures to protect Canadians from terrorism.

[Rosane Doré Lefebvre, NDP, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, citizens, aboriginal communities, unions, business people, experts, prime ministers and more all agree that Bill C-51 is dangerous and unnecessary. However, that did not stop the Liberals and Conservatives from standing up yesterday and voting against the NDP's amendments to withdraw the most controversial clauses from the bill.

The final vote on the bill is being held tomorrow. How can the Conservatives and Liberals still vote in favour of such a controversial bill?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, after months of hearings and words and debate, after hearing the sister of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and stakeholders from all over the country, New Democrats are still opposing measures to keep Canadians safe.

We know what is right. We know what to do and we will do it. The member should stay tuned.

Taxation

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that we need to put in place measures to help families and the middle class, which continue to go into debt under this Conservative government. We can cut their taxes and provide larger, simpler, fairer benefits than those offered by this Conservative government.

Why are the Conservatives helping people with $10,000 to put aside instead of helping families that are tired of steadily going into debt under the Conservative government?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the leader of the Liberal Party announced that he wants to hike taxes for those earning less than $60,000 a year by eliminating tax-free savings accounts. He announced that he wants to replace our family tax cut with a family tax hike. The Liberal leader will take money away from families and increase their taxes. We are doing the exact opposite.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, only a third of Canadians can afford a TFSA. Fewer than a quarter of that third can afford to max out. It is a tool focused on 8% of Canadians. The other 92% are no where close.

To help them, the vast majority, to help nine out of ten Canadian families, why not cut the middle class tax rate right across the board? Why not give those families a bigger child benefit, clean, simple, fair, tax-free, right across the board? Why not?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberal leader admitted that his plan for higher taxes has a $2 billion hole in it.

The Liberal leader admitted that he would have to raise taxes on people earning less than $60,000 a year by cancelling their expanded tax-free savings accounts. He admitted that he would replace the Conservative family tax cut with the Liberal family tax increase. He admitted that he would get rid of the universal child care benefit, yet he also admitted that after all those tax hikes, he would still have a $2 billion hole, which he would need to cancel pension splitting for seniors in order to fill.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, just repeating a falsehood does not make it true. Canadians are mocking this minister. They do not believe a word he says.

He cannot justify why this tired government is against a big middle class tax cut. He cannot justify why it is against a better child benefit, bigger, fairer, absolutely tax free for every middle-class family and all those trying to get there.

He punishes single moms and dads, but gives a $2,000 tax break to those earning a quarter of a million dollars. Why?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberal leader admitted he would raise taxes on people earning less than $60,000 a year.

In fact, two-thirds of those who have maxed out their tax-free savings account earn less than $60,000 a year.

The Liberal leader admitted that he would cancel the Conservative family tax cut and replace it with the Liberal family tax increase by cancelling income splitting for parents.

He would also have to cancel income splitting for seniors in order to help make up for the $2 billion hole that the Liberal Leader admits is in his plan.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Members need to come to order. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hear both the questions and the answers. We need a little bit of order, please.

The hon. member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier.

National Defence

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during his latest visit to Iraq, the Prime Minister prevented journalists from publishing images of our special operations forces soldiers for security reasons. However, he released images showing the faces of these soldiers for a promotional campaign. When the issue was raised, the video was taken off the Web. Now there is talk of posting it again. Quite frankly, that is shameful.

Does the Prime Minister realize that posting this promotional video on his website compromises our soldiers' safety?

[James Bezan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of our troops is our number one priority. For this reason, there are protocols in place before images or videos are posted. When concerns were raised about a few specific images, these were taken down immediately so we could review whether the protocols were properly applied.

After a second review, it became apparent that two of these videos should not have been posted. We regret the error and are reviewing all protocols with respect to the publication of such images.