House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 45% of the vote.
National Unity February 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, it is too bad. We told Quebecers not to trust what the Prime Minister said. We told all Quebecers. Unfortunately, there are still some who trust the Prime Minister.
When all is said and done, when the Prime Minister tells us today there is nothing more he can do for Quebec, is he not just confirming what we have always told Quebecers concerning him and his promises: that there is nothing he can do for Quebec and that Quebecers should certainly not expect anything from him?
National Unity February 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, it is not a question of what the present, past or future leader of the Bloc Quebecois would like. We are talking about promises made by the Prime Minister. We are talking about promises made by the Prime Minister himself, on his own initiative, before the referendum, in front of all Quebecers. Let us not shift the blame.
I am going to put the following question to him: If his distinct society resolution is so important, when has the government taken it into account? What has it meant for Quebec since it was passed, this resolution that is not worth the paper it is written on, this meaningless resolution that has produced nothing, and that does not absolve the Prime Minister from his promises?
National Unity February 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, in an interview with the Toronto Star , the Prime Minister said he thought he had done everything possible on the national unity front. He said, and I quote: ``I don't have to campaign on that, it's not a big issue, we've done it''.
Since the Prime Minister claims he has delivered the goods, are we to understand that, with the phoney resolution on distinct society, a regional right of veto and still unresolved negotiations on job training, the Prime Minister feels that the promises he made in Verdun to Quebecers have been kept?
Taxation February 6th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, this is rather frustrating. The Minister of Finance did not understand the question at all.
We are not asking the Minister of Finance to increase the tax burden on corporations. This is about eliminating unproductive fiscal spending deductions that do not stimulate job creation and instead make these deductions contingent on the number of jobs created.
The Bloc Quebecois never asked the government to increase the taxes of these corporations. We simply asked the government to redirect its tax spending. The minister does not understand tax reform. That is the problem. And he is the Minister of Finance. I do not have much of a problem with the federal tax system, because pretty soon we will no longer be affected by it.
I wish the Minister of Finance would realize that by refusing to make thorough changes in the federal tax system, he is also preventing such changes from taking place in the provinces, because the two are closely related. He takes the lead, so he should know.
Taxation February 6th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, all socio-economic partners agree it is important for the government not only to modernize the tax system but also to bring about thorough changes that will make it fairer, more equitable, more productive and will help stimulate the economy.
In November we tabled proposals suggesting that the minister eliminate tax spending on companies that are not productive. In the process, the government would recover $3 billion and use the money to stimulate job creation by introducing appropriate fiscal measures that are attractive and provide an incentive for business.
Does the minister intend to include this suggestion in his next budget?
Taxation February 6th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, this is pre-budget time, of course, and I imagine the Minister of Finance is working very hard on his budget. When he read the documents the Bloc contributed to the process, he must have realized that the Canadian tax system needed reform. Unfortunately, the minister has never been very forthcoming about tax reform. He does not seem interested.
Today, as budget day draws nearer, I want to ask him and I have not yet given up on convincing him, if he agrees that the Canadian personal and corporate tax system needs a thorough review, and whether he intends to proceed accordingly in his next budget?
Personal Income Tax February 5th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is offering me a great opportunity here. He knows very well that, as long as Quebec is not a sovereign country, the Quebec Minister of Finance, like those in the other provinces, is required to harmonize his taxation system with what the federal minister decides on. When Quebec is sovereign, things will no longer be the same. For the moment, we are stuck with him. I profoundly regret bringing partisan politics into this, as I did not intend to, but I have to remind him of an unfortunate reality.
From 1984 to 1993, 1,500 Canadians earning in excess of $100,000 paid not a red cent in tax. In 1993, the Conservatives' last year, there were 2,230 Canadians earning in excess of $100,000 who paid not a red cent in taxes, and in 1994, the last year for which there are statistics-and this is my question for the Minister of Finance-what is his reaction to the fact that 4,260 Canadians paid not a red cent in taxes on earnings of over $100,000?
Does the Minister of Finance not consider that this would be worthy of his attention, and ought to have received it a long time ago?
Personal Income Tax February 5th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, is the Minister of Finance for Canada not concerned by the fact that, with the services of a tax specialist with any skill at all, many rich taxpayers in Canada manage to avoid paying a red cent? Is he not troubled by this, as Minister of Finance, if he has any concern for equity whatsoever?
Personal Income Tax February 5th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I shall be very brief. Today, the Bloc Quebecois released its analysis of the federal personal income tax system. There has been no real examination of the Canadian tax system for over 30 years. It would, however, be easy for the Minister of Finance to increase the equity of the Canadian tax system and to recover cash
from numerous tax shelters which are costing us dearly at a time when no one is having an easy time of it.
At a time when the government is squeezing the unemployed, cutting transfer payments, hunting for money everywhere, how can the Minister of Finance provide us with any serious explanation for the fact that, in three and a half years, he has not found a way to systematically assess personal tax expenditures in Canada, particularly those of rich taxpayers.
Somalia Inquiry February 4th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the minister has just made an extraordinary revelation: we did not know there was so much involved. Imagine what we will miss if he wraps up the inquiry on March 31.
Seriously though, I am sure that the Minister of National Defence will want to reply to this question. A very serious thing has occurred: senior officers of the Canadian military blackmailed the former defence minister, Mrs. Campbell, who was running for the office of Prime Minister at the time. Such a revelation is very worrisome, fraught with consequences for institutions like the armed forces and Parliament, and for democracy.
I put the following question to the minister. Should we not get right to the bottom of this affair, so that it does not happen again? Listening to the minister's answers, seeing him shift from one idea to another, I wonder whether he himself has been the subject of threats or pressure from the armed forces.