Jim Peterson

[Job Creation, May 15th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the future of Canada's young people is the future of all of us.

This is why we have allocated so much in tax cuts and new funding to ensure that young Canadians are the best trained and the best educated in the world.

We have been able to do this in spite of incredible budget difficulties.

We have been able to do this at a time when we have balanced our budget, the first in the G-7, when we are now paying down our debt without ripping the guts out of our social programs.

[Job Creation, May 15th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, jobs have been the preoccupation of the government.

This is why since we took office there have been over 1 million new jobs created, 450,000 in the last year alone. Unemployment has gone from 11.4% down to 8.4%. We have the highest job creation growth in the G-7. We have the highest economic growth rate in the G-7. Interest rates across the board are now lower than American rates.

[Banks, May 7th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we have put in a process. We are going to have extensive all-party hearings at both the Senate and the House levels. Meanwhile our party has taken the initiative of setting up the special task force under the very able leadership of the member for Trinity—Spadina. If you want to participate in some public hearings, either hold your own or agree to come with us and help.

[Banks, May 7th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I find it passing strange. The NDP called for a denial of any bank mergers outright before we had any hearings. Then it wanted the finance committee to look at it. Then it wanted another committee to look it. Now it wants the industry committee to look at it. At the same time it said do not look at it, deny all the mergers.

We are not like that. We are putting in place a process involving a report of the task force which will come in September, extensive hearings by the House of Commons finance committee, and the Senate committee. We are going to have Canadians involved in this decision. We will not make a decision until they are.

[Old Age Pensions, May 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, in the 1996 budget, the minister announced changes to old age pensions, which provide that every Canadian whose yearly income is over $40,000 will have to pay more.

On Monday, the minister had discussions with groups of seniors from across Canada. Discussions will continue, and he will take their views into account.

[Taxation, March 27th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is a priority of many members of this House.

We have to recognize that we have taken steps in past budgets in order to recognize the very real burden that homes bear, particularly those where one person is working and another is not. For example in our last budget we took 400,000 taxpayers right off the roles. We reduced the taxes for 14 million Canadians, or 90% of all taxpayers. Through the national child tax benefit we are putting funds directly into the area where we think they are most needed, to those families where—

[Millennium Scholarship Fund, March 26th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we have created a foundation that will be independent and at arm's length from government. As such it will have its own auditor but its books will be deposited before parliament. They will be open to public scrutiny including the scrutiny of the auditor general.

I suggest that we cannot have it both ways. Either we have a foundation which is independent and at arm's length from government or we have one that is run like government is with all the regulations, et cetera. That is not what we have chosen to do.

[Employment Insurance, March 26th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, last year, the Canadian economy generated 372,000 jobs. Since we have been in office, the economy has generated more than 1 million jobs.

It is not enough, but we will carry on with our economic policies to ensure that the progress made so far continues to generate numerous jobs.

[Employment Insurance, March 26th, 1998]

We have already cut employment insurance premiums by more than $7 billion based on past economic conditions.

[Employment Insurance, March 26th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, the amount of the surplus from contributions is set on a yearly basis by the commission. We must ensure that there will be enough for the economic cycle.