Michel Gauthier

[Taxation, December 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, for 14 months now the Minister of Finance has been utterly unable to convince his Cabinet colleagues to take the measures necessary to bring about a substantial reduction in his deficit.

In an attempt to fulfill their commitments and reduce the deficit to 3 per cent of the GDP, Liberal members are proposing to further increase the burden of taxpayers, who are already weighed down with taxes, particularly those in the middle class.

Given that now is the time when taxpayers make decisions about the amounts they will invest in RRSPs, would the minister simply take advantage of this final question period to reassure worried taxpayers by undertaking publicly not to tax RRSPs in his next budget?

[The Economy, December 14th, 1994]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this advance appreciation of my question. Would the Minister of Finance admit that by merely coasting along on our economic recovery instead of stimulating job creation as he should have done, he has heightened the lack of confidence in the financial community which no longer believes his promises to reduce the deficit?

[The Economy, December 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, look at them carrying on. And they talk about the Government of Quebec.

[The Economy, December 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe what we just heard. For the past 14 months, the Minister of Finance has been talking about the Government of Quebec. With a $40 billion deficit, rising interest rates and his policies that have been a complete failure, he talks to us about the Government of Quebec. I cannot believe it.

[The Economy, December 14th, 1994]

Would the minister agree that scepticism in the financial community has increased considerably since Liberal members announced that the government would probably be unable to reach its goal of 3 per cent of GDP, which they feel justifies a general tax increase, ostensibly temporary, a proposal the Minister of Finance is still considering?

[The Economy, December 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is a deficit expert. Everybody knows that. We all know the figures.

[The Economy, December 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, for the past 14 months the Minister of Finance has promised he will reduce the deficit. We are still waiting.

Disappointed by his failure to act, the financial community and investors are becoming increasingly concerned about the government's failure to reduce the deficit. In fact, in a situation where we can expect the U.S. economy to start overheating, failure to reduce the deficit will always cause interest rates to rise in Canada.

Will the Minister of Finance admit that his weak-kneed approach to fighting the deficit and the miscalculations in his own budget plan are increasing concern in the financial community and among foreign investors, and that his failure to act is largely responsible for the rise in interest rates in this country?

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, December 13th, 1994]

Yes, Mr. Speaker. I always have trouble avoiding relevant comments.

Given the importance of this issue for the community in Saint-Jean and the teaching staff, does the Prime Minister intend to intervene to bring his minister to his senses since his attitude is completely incompatible with what he himself called flexible federalism?

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, December 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, despite the importance of this issue for the community of Saint-Jean, the teaching staff and their families, the minister stubbornly persists in refusing to discuss it.

The Quebec minister clearly indicated to the minister that she was ready to discuss the proposal put forth by the mayor of Saint-Jean and the minister himself said that this proposal was consistent with the July 19 agreement. What more does it take, Mr. Speaker? If the Quebec minister abides by the agreement, or rather the proposal, from the mayor of Saint-Jean, and the federal minister thinks that it is consistent with his proposal of July 19, what more does he need?

I put my question to the Prime Minister so that someone in that government will see the light.

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, December 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is dancing the cha-cha-cha on the Saint-Jean college issue-and he knows it. He is taking one step forward, and two steps back. That is what he is doing.

I would like him to tell us exactly in what way what the Quebec minister said changed the proposal from the mayor of Saint-Jean, which is based on the July 19 agreement that seems

to be so dear to the minister. How did that change the mayor's proposal which Ms. Beaudoin and the people of Saint-Jean are prepared to discuss? The minister is the only one who will not get involved in the negotiations.