House of Commons Hansard #228 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.

Topics

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, we have had three frivolous points of order now that have taken time from the House. The only comment that the member has given was when she stretched out her point of order. As you have so clearly said, Mr. Speaker, when we do time allocation, when we speak about the budget, we speak about measures in the budget.

My hon. friend brought forward a question on agriculture. Only our Conservative government here in the House understands that family farms are the backbone of our country. That is why I was pleased to join our Minister of Agriculture in Regina to announce more support for our farmers. To allow farm business owners to maintain more of their capital for retirement, economic action plan 2015 would provide funding to increase the lifetime capital gains exemption to $1 million for farmers and fishermen. These are measures that matter to Canadians in the budget, in economic action plan 2015.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:40 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I regret that it is the Minister of State for Finance who has to answer questions for what is really a move by the Prime Minister's Office and the government House leader to, for the 100th time in this Parliament, shut down debate prematurely. It is particularly egregious when it is done in the case of an omnibus budget bill with many separate sections, none of which received adequate study in committee and now will be rushed through this place.

I think very highly of my hon. friend, and the Minister of State for Finance is a friend. I would not want to assume that he had anything to do with wanting to shut down debate and deprive members of Parliament, like myself, of an opportunity to adequately debate and study the bill.

I will put to him that I do not think it had anything whatsoever to do with the budget to decide to imagine away the access to information law, which currently stands as law of the land, to remove it at a time when the information commissioner had already put the Minister of Public Safety on notice that she believed a crime had been committed and required investigation. Now the substance of that criminal act is to be erased retroactively.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, we have mentioned a number of times that every single measure in Bill C-59 was referenced in the budget. We are very proud of the steps that we are taking to support the economy in economic action plan 2015.

Her question was more specific to the access to information. For Canadians who may be watching, and for people in my constituency who may be watching, the main thrust of her question was why we are going the extra measure to get rid of the long gun registry. It was a commitment that our government fulfilled. It was a commitment we made to end the wasteful, ineffective long gun registry once and for all. Measures in the budget allow us to do that. It was still possible to access the outdated registry through access to information.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:40 p.m.

NDP

Christine Moore NDP Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC

Mr. Speaker, in the last part of my comment I used language that was unparliamentary. I should have said that I hope we will throw them out for the next 100 years.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

I thank the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue for her clarification.

We will just let the hon. Minister of State finish up and then we are going to go to questions, to the hon. member for Cape Breton—Canso.

The hon. Minister of State.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, for Canadians who are wondering what the NDP is doing here, we have had four individuals stand on points of order that were not points of order. NDP members are concerned that they do not have the ability to debate, but they are not asking the questions. They are just throwing frivolous points of order around.

Going back to the question, the will of Parliament was made very clear when it came to the long gun registry. The clarity was that all copies of the registry were to be destroyed. The technical amendment that we are proposing in the budget addresses this problem and it solves it.

Our Conservative government was pleased to end the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry once and for all. We know that the opposition parties would want to bring it back.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS

Mr. Speaker, I, too, have a lot of respect for my colleague, the Minister of State for Finance. In holding that lofty position with the government, I am sure he is pretty good with math. I know math is hard. We saw that in the Alberta election. I will ask him to help me and in turn help Canadians with this one.

When public servants are making $60,000 a year and, let us say, they miss three or four days of work, those jobs are not filled. No replacements come in. Those days are paid for as part of their salary, yet the government has come up with the number, $900 million in saving, by stealing back sick time from the public servants.

How do we not have any additional costs on those sick days, but still put together what I and I think most Canadians think is a phony revenue line in the budget of $900 million. Could he help us through that math?

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, my friend mentioned that math is difficult. Obviously, from a party whose leader thinks that budgets balance themselves, it would be very difficult to explain all that to him. However, I can guarantee that budgets take discipline, hard work and they do not balance themselves.

Economic action plan 2015 reaffirms the government's commitment to pursuing a new disability and sick leave management system. The 40-year-old sick leave accumulation system is antiquated and not responsive to the needs of the majority of our employees.

Over 60% of the employees in the public service do not have enough banked sick leave to cover the waiting period before assessing long-term disability benefits, and 25% have less than 10 days banked sick leave. This places them at risk of income loss.

A modernized system would provide adequate support for all employees, regardless of age, medical history and service of years. It is fair. Canadians expect us to bring forward a system that would be fair for all, and we intend to do that.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The hon. member for Gatineau, for one last question.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:45 p.m.

NDP

Françoise Boivin NDP Gatineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to speak, since we will not have the opportunity to ask many more questions about Bill C-59.

With regard to this bill, the national media have accused members of all parties of not spending enough time doing the job we were all elected to do in this House. What job would that be? Ensuring that the money we receive from taxpayers across this country is properly spent.

What is sad about the government's approach, with its 100th gag order, is that it undermines what should be our most important job. I am talking about conducting in-depth analyses of legislation and being able to hear from different groups.

I heard a number of my colleagues talk about the Privacy Commissioner or about public servants, who negotiated over the years and are going to unilaterally and illegally lose benefits to which they are entitled and for which they made other concessions. There is something obscene about this whole thing, and it seems as though the whole budget process is taken lightly and is carried out behind closed doors. Could my colleague speak to that?

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, on the member's final point on whether the budget was drafted behind doors, the answer is no.

The finance minister, the parliamentary secretary, myself and a number of others did consultations all across the country, right from the east coast to the west coast. We listened to moms and dads, businessmen and women, first nations groups, those in post-secondary education, and a good balance of Canadians. They brought forward ideas, like lowering taxes for small business. Small businessmen and women would said that as much as the government was already doing, they were still finding it difficult to really prosper and to hire more.

Again, we brought forward measures like lowering those taxes, the accelerated capital cost allowance for manufacturers so they could invest back into their own companies and invest in innovation. We have put money into research so they can succeed. That is the way these budgets are drawn up.

We waited for our budget until April because we saw a drop in the oil sector. The finance minister wanted to be certain that the budget we were bringing forward would clearly show where we were and where we would be going.

In the rollout of this budget, Canadians know we got it right. We have kept taxes low. We have helped families. We have helped their security. We got it right.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith the question necessary to dispose of 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-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

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

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

All those opposed will please say nay.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Nay.

Bill C-59--Time Allocation MotionEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

3:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #436

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Acting Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

I declare the motion carried.

I wish to inform the House that because of the proceedings on the time allocation motion, government orders will be extended by 30 minutes.

The hon. government House leader.

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

4:30 p.m.

York—Simcoe Ontario

Conservative

Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, documents containing the government's responses to order paper Questions Nos. 1,187 to 1,193, and 1,195 to 1,205.

The House resumed consideration of Bill C-59, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 21, 2015 and other measures, as reported (with amendments) from the committee, and of the motions in Group No. 1.

Report StageEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

4:35 p.m.

NDP

François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC

Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day, for it is the 100th time the Conservative government has put a gag order on members. We must not forget that the role of members in this House is to represent our constituents and stand up for their ideas and their aspirations.

I represent the people of the riding of Drummond, and they want me to be able to have my say on this bill to implement certain provisions of the budget. The bill is extremely important, because it will have a significant impact on their lives. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have imposed a 100th gag order, which is a new record. It is completely shameful. On top of that, we are nearing the end of this term. Fortunately, we will have the chance to get rid of this Conservative government in the upcoming election.

I am very pleased nonetheless to have this tremendous opportunity to speak to this bad bill, an opportunity that some of my colleagues will unfortunately not have. Once again, the Conservatives have introduced an omnibus budget implementation bill. This mammoth bill was drafted in order to ram through—to say nothing of the gag order—hundreds of changes to a number of laws, without any study or scrutiny.

Let us talk about the Conservatives' bad ideas that are going to hurt the middle class. On the weekend, I attended half a dozen events where I met with people from Drummond's middle class and those who aspire to be part of the middle class. They told me that the NDP's measures would encourage the middle class and that the Conservatives' measures, such as income splitting, would certainly not help them. That measure will benefit only the wealthiest 15% of our society. It is not going to help the people who truly need help in the riding of Drummond, and it will cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

Canadians need our help. They need us to set a $15 an hour national minimum wage and implement a national child care program. With that improvement, Quebec would have a better-quality child care system. Canadians need us to cancel the $36 billion in cuts to health care that the Conservatives are planning to make over the next decade. These are bad decisions the Conservative government is making.

The Conservatives are also increasing the TFSA contribution limit. This will also benefit the wealthiest in our society, but there is nothing for the middle class or the people in Drummond who aspire to be part of it.

Families in Drummondville and the greater Drummond area want a responsible government that will address the challenges of this decade and this century, such as the fight against climate change. There is nothing in this budget implementation bill about the environment or the fight against climate change. We need to stimulate the economy, but we need an economy that is in line with the three pillars of sustainable development.

I do not need to remind the House that the leader of the NDP, the member for Outremont, is the one who implemented the Sustainable Development Act in Quebec. He is the father of sustainable development. He is very familiar with the three pillars of sustainable development, whether we are talking about the economy or respect for the environment. Of course we need to stimulate the economy, but in doing so we need to be respectful of the environment and workers. Unfortunately, there is nothing about that in this budget.

It was not surprising to see that on his recent trip to Europe for the G7 summit, the Prime Minister sabotaged the efforts of the heads of state in this organization. They wanted to reach an agreement, to take a strong stand by limiting climate change and achieving carbon neutrality or no carbon emissions by 2050.

Unfortunately, the Conservative government, led by this Prime Minister, sabotaged the G7's vision by extending that timeframe far into the future. He said that our goal should be 2100. Once again, this government is passing problems on to future generations. As his Minister of Finance said, the Prime Minister's grandchildren will have to deal with this problem. That does not make any sense. It is a total lack of responsibility.

Canada definitely needs an NDP government because the NDP is the only party that can replace this tired, irresponsible government that does not care about future generations. An NDP government will make these kinds of changes.

There is no mention in this budget of programs to transition to green energy sources. As I mentioned, the government shows no desire to do so. Its weak Copenhagen target will not even be reached. This Conservative government was the only government in the world to withdraw from Kyoto. They are really out to lunch when they talk about the economy of the future. What, exactly, does that mean? It means an economy that will transition to green energy sources. The Conservative government has no plan to invest in green energy sources in its budget. It has no plan to stop subsidizing fossil fuels. Every year, Canada's fossil fuel industry receives some $1.3 billion in subsidies and all kinds of assistance. That is a huge amount of money that goes to companies that do not need it. Oil and gas companies, as well as companies in the coal industry, do not represent the economy of the future. The economy of the future involves transitioning towards green energy sources and energy efficiency.

Mr. Speaker, I see that I have just two minutes left. Time flies. That is why, as I said, it does not make sense to have a gag order.

A few months ago, I moved a motion on energy efficiency. Unfortunately, the Conservatives opposed it.

I would like to refer to some other reports, but since I do not have much time left, I will conclude with a few words about a report entitled “Acting on Climate Change”. This is a solution proposed by 60 Canadian scholars. These scientists from across Canada have proposed solutions to address climate change. The government could have found some inspiration there. The report is non-partisan and unbiased.

According to the report, the first thing we need to do is put a price on carbon. We need a national emissions cap and trade system like the one that Quebec and California belong to. The NDP's proposals are similar. The report also calls for the elimination of fossil fuel industry subsidies. The $1.3 billion I mentioned could be allocated to green solutions. That would create 10 times more jobs. There would be 10 times more jobs for the people of Drummond if the government took that money and invested it in green energy. In addition, investments in building and maintaining infrastructure would have to tie in to a long-term decarbonization goal. There are so many economic measures the Conservative government could have taken to turn our economy into a low-carbon-emissions economy, but it did not. It is not doing anything for the environment and has no vision for the future in that regard.

The only party that has a vision for the future and can replace the Conservative government is the NDP, and that is what we will do on October 19. We will propose a comprehensive vision that integrates sustainable development, and we will grow the economy while respecting the environment and social issues.

Report StageEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

4:45 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, budgets are about priorities and the Liberal Party would argue that the government has its priorities all wrong. They are not the priorities of Canadians. It is important to recognize that under the the current government, middle-class Canadians have had to work longer and harder just to make ends meet. That is not right.

We are months away from an election and the budget debate provides us the opportunity to show some contrast. I would like to present some contrast and see if the member would like to do likewise for the NDP.

A Liberal government, for example, would make the tax system fairer and cut the middle-class tax rate by 7%. That is a $3 billion tax cut for those who need it the most. The Liberal plan would also provide one bigger, fairer tax-free monthly cheque to help families with the high costs of raising their kids. We would also ask the wealthiest Canadians to pay a little more so the middle-class can pay less. The Liberals would cancel the Prime Minister's income splitting and other tax breaks for the wealthy. We would introduce a new tax bracket for the top 1% of incomes over $200,000.

Would the member not agree that giving strength to Canada's middle class would give strength to Canada's economy, and that it is the way of the future?

Report StageEconomic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1Government Orders

4:45 p.m.

NDP

François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Winnipeg North. I agree that the Conservatives have made some poor choices, and that is why I am mentioning it. People need to understand that the only party that is ready to replace the Conservatives is the NDP.

We need to get rid of income splitting and the increase in the TFSA limit, because those measures help only the richest 15%.

People in my riding tell me that we need to look after the middle class first, because members of the middle class are the ones who are having a hard time making ends meet. We also need to look after those who aspire to join the middle class. That is why we have a plan for small businesses.

Drummond has a long list of examples of successful small and medium-sized businesses that were set up by innovative, creative people. Those are the people we need to help, so that they can create jobs. Eighty per cent of new jobs are created by SMEs, and the NDP government will support SMEs to help create jobs.