Lost his last election, in 2011, with 25% of the vote.
Speech From The Throne October 3rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the hon. member was just making a point. He might want to address that in a question during question period to the Minister of Health.
He is right that in my area I represent about 90 percent of the tobacco growers in the country. I always make sure they are represented.
I know the Reform Party has never supported tobacco growers. I know it has a hard time recognizing that tobacco growers are legitimate formers with a legitimate right to farm.
Speech From The Throne October 3rd, 1997
If the hon. member would listen he would know that I specifically said it was in the red book. If the member would like a copy, I would be glad to send him over one.
We plan to take half that dividend and put it toward the debt. It makes common sense to do it that way, and not the whole lot.
I think Canadians deserve to get a little back for all their hard work in helping us to get the deficit under control.
Speech From The Throne October 3rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the electoral system never ceases to amaze me.
The hon. member talks about the deficit. I can understand the hon. member's real concern because that was their policy. Their policy was to bring it under control and these spendthrift Liberals as they call us could never do it. Well we did it. We brought it under control. We made a commitment in the red book to make sure of that and because we now have a dividend we can turn some of that toward the national debt.
At the same time I cannot see how the hon. member cannot recognize that Canadians helped to pay so that we could get this deficit under control. They should be able to reap some of the benefits now that it is under control.
Speech From The Throne October 3rd, 1997
Yes, we have balanced the budget. The hon. member says to cut taxes. I totally agree that is one of the best approaches we should have to this problem. But there are serious problems in this country that need to be addressed, that cannot be addressed by saying we can solve them just by reducing taxes. There are investments in our future, in our children that this government needs to make. It is important that the Reform Party recognizes that.
There are many children living in poverty. There is a role not only for private business but there is a role specifically for government to be involved in solving these problems. That is why we have decided in the Speech from the Throne to establish centres of excellence, why we have expanded the aboriginal head start program.
I know the hon. member across the way mentioned the fact that we mentioned aboriginals in the Speech from the Throne eight or ten times. They are an important aspect of this country I remind the hon. member. If his party would recognize that, we might have a better way of working together in this country.
The present minister of aboriginal affairs has done an exemplary job of working together with aboriginal communities in trying to solve some of the problems. There are enormous problems on reserves in this country and the Reform Party should recognize that rather than just trying to bring aboriginal communities and aboriginal peoples down.
On quality health care, the Speech from the Throne talks about the importance of health care in our society. We have indicated that now we have brought the economy under control and we are now going to have a dividend that a lot of this dividend will be put toward health care.
Because my allotted time is ending, I will wrap up, Mr. Speaker. I believe all Canadians should take a look at the Speech from the Throne. It is important for all Canadians to call their members of Parliament to get a copy to understand where the government is going and how we plan to take this country into the next millennium.
Speech From The Throne October 3rd, 1997
I get calls across the way that it may be boring. Well I do not think so. I do not think a long concerted effort to try to save this country is boring. I do not agree with the approach of the last government which was to build some national consensus through the media on a constitutional decision, roll the dice and that is the way to solve the problem.
I think this approach that we have taken in the Speech from the Throne is a serious approach. From what we have seen in recent polls taken in Quebec and in the co-operation shown across this country in areas such as child care and health care, this country can work. I do not think we need to make constitutional changes to make that work.
I support and continue to call on all members of this House to take this issue seriously and to work with their respective premiers or territorial leaders in making sure that the proposals put forward are understood and are a reflection of what Canadians want in a country.
One of the problems outlined in the Speech from the Throne, which is a serious problem, is the whole question of children and children living in poverty. We certainly need to put more effort into that.
Speech From The Throne October 3rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I am here today speaking on the Speech from the Throne that this government gave to the country outlining the government's policies and the government's priorities leading into the next millennium.
The Speech from the Throne is a product of work done not only by the bureaucrats but also by members of Parliament, backbenchers and by members of the Liberal Party who have worked in little policy groups across this country bringing forward ideas and bringing forward priorities with which they feel the government should set its policies.
All governments that bring forward their priorities and policies in speeches from the throne do so within the fiscal framework that the country faces at any given time. When we first started as a government in 1993 our priorities were set by the fact that at that time we faced a $42 billion deficit. Anything we did, any ideas we could bring forward always had to be tempered by the fact that the government was spending $42 billion more than it was taking in.
That was one of the first priorities that our government in 1993 went after. I feel we succeeded. We succeeded in bringing that deficit down to a point where in 1998-99 there will no longer be any deficit.
Had I promised in 1993 that we would be able to do that, I do not think I would have believed it myself, but we have done it. Now we can move forward. We have a dividend and I believe our party and our policies over the next five years will be to help Canadians, the Canadians who have had to pay the price so that we could get that high deficit under control.
Indeed it is our responsibility now to move forward and to recognize that young Canadians, old Canadians, seniors, children, Canadians who have had to pay the price get some of the benefits from this dividend. That is what this Speech from the Throne tries to do.
As members know, unemployment has been one of the problems facing not only this government but governments around the world. Youth unemployment is certainly far too high. If we look at the numbers over the last three years, the economists say that we have created over a million jobs in our last mandate. I see that as a priority this time and it is a priority in the Speech from the Throne to do that.
I want to take not only my constituents who are listening but all Canadians through the Speech from the Throne. I encourage them all to pick up a copy—they can call their member of Parliament's office—and read the speech from the throne because it is what their government is going to be doing over the next five years. I think it is important that they read it for themselves rather than listen to our colleagues across the way who somewhat filter it.
I find it surprising that my colleagues on the other side of the House would be scared that Canadians would actually pick up the Speech from the Throne and read it. They should be proud of it because it sets out an agenda for the next millennium.
As I said, speeches from the throne are always set up by any government due to the fiscal situation. Certainly all Canadians recognize that the economy has turned around. The economy is starting to grow.
One of the problems in this country, and it has been a problem for some time and has been mentioned in this House over the last few hours, is the whole question of national unity. There are different approaches to the question of national unity and how the government should respond to the problem.
We listen to what our colleague from British Columbia in the other House has been saying about this country. One wonders, given her long history with the former Conservative government, why she would try to grab headlines at the expense of a nation. I find it very shameful.
I might as well at the same time remind our colleagues at the other end, the NDP, I also find it shameful that somebody would stand in this House and try to one up the Conservative Party, try to grab the stage on national unity in British Columbia at the expense of a country. It is not the way to do it. It is not the way to build a strong country.
I believe we set out in the Speech from the Throne the way to do it. We should co-operate. We should work with the premiers and the territorial leaders in bringing together those areas that can be worked on. We have seen the work done in Calgary by the premiers and the territorial leaders. We have seen this government go from province to province to province consulting on the best way to do it. That is right.
Interparliamentary Delegations October 3rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report from the Canadian Branch Commonwealth Parliamentary Association concerning the 36th Canadian regional conference which took place July 12 to 18 in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Income Tax Budget Amendments Act, 1996 April 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to say a few words on Bill C-92. I know I only have a couple of minutes to speak to the budget. It is a budget that I think is notable.
I want to say a little bit about rural Canada and the impact this budget has in the rural areas. Rural Canada is an area that has really been recognized for the first time in a budget by a government that directly looked at solving some of its problems.
In the speech from the throne the government made a commitment to look at rural Canada and to try to make sure that it shares in the economic growth that is happening across the country. I would like to thank all our members from the rural caucus in the Liberal Party and the Minister of Finance for taking the opportunity, after listening to our concerns, to address some of the concerns that we have in rural areas so that we too can share in the economic growth in the country.
I want to highlight a few areas that the minister has touched on. One of those areas deals with the Farm Credit Corporation. He
made sure that the Farm Credit Corporation had more money in which to invest in rural areas.
The trade statistics show that agricultural exports have increased some 30 per cent over the last three years. We seem to be booming in exporting our products. One of the areas in which we need to do more is to make sure that the further processing of goods, especially in the agricultural area, can get to the export market. In order to do that the farmers, who have a lot of really good ideas, need some cash to invest in these products and to get them into the market.
On the one hand the Minister for International Trade has done a good job in getting the information out to these small businesses, these farmers, and to make sure that they are represented in our embassies around the world and that their product is there.
On the other hand, the Minister of Finance has made sure that cash is there. He has made sure that the Farm Credit Corporation has cash available to help invest in these small industries to make sure that they can get up, get running and get these further processed goods exported around the world. I want to thank him for that.
I would like to highlight a point that the hon. member for Parry Sound-Muskoka was pushing very strongly and I know the Minister of Finance thanked him for that, and that is the whole of tourism and the importance of tourism to job creation in Canada. The rural areas have a lot to show. A lot of tourists come to the rural areas but there is not as much co-ordination and there are not the groups in place to help co-ordinate a tour group or a tourist who comes in to certain parts of Canada.
The Minister of Finance in his wisdom and the cabinet agreed to put some money into tourism. I know all hon. members will agree it does a lot in helping to create jobs, especially in small tourist operations in rural and remote Canada.
Obviously education and health care were in the budget. These areas are important for rural Canada. I want to thank the minister for investing in the Internet and making sure that we in the rural areas are up to speed so to speak in having access to the Internet.
In fact our young people and our students can now in any community with a population of over 400 have access to the Internet. That is a very important initiative of this government that really helps in making sure that people in rural and remote Canada can get into the new technologies that I think are going to be important in rural areas in terms of job creation.
It is also important to note this. I want to talk personally about my riding of Haldimand-Norfolk and the importance of taxation. In my nine years here, it seems that every year, the Minister of Finance has come up and once again increased the taxes on tobacco.
I want to thank him from my constituents' point of view for not raising the taxes on tobacco in the budget. As members know, to tobacco farmers in the community surrounding my area, the size of tax on tobacco is important, although not on the sales. It does not have a big influence in the production, but in giving them a good feeling and understanding of how the system works.
Tobacco Act March 6th, 1997
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his comments. As the hon. member knows, I do not agree with them certainly.
I did not mention this earlier in my speech, but in my riding of Haldimand-Norfolk not only do I have the largest number of producers of tobacco in the country but I also have the largest native reserve in the country. I use reserve in that sense.
Yes, the tobacco producers do support me in my riding. However, I was shocked to hear some of the statements coming out of the Reform Party members who have called on the government to put on an export tax and to increase the taxes. Even today on the local radio station the Reform candidate in my riding said they are against this. I wonder if he has consulted with the local candidate in my riding who keeps claiming that Reform would not do any of that if they were in government. It is just a question of free speech.
I know the hon. member and I know his background. We have talked about this issue today. I heard just a clip of him talking about the tobacco diversification program. I know he, unlike other members in his party, has spoken to me and has said that he is concerned with tobacco farmers and producers, unlike his House leader who said that we should just get rid of them all.
I want to explain to the hon. member, who may not be aware, in terms of the tobacco diversification program, as I explained earlier, there are only so many places where we can diversify. In fact, with an 80 acre farm there is not a lot that one can do in terms of producing other products. They have been into ginseng and some other things but frankly the markets have been cluttered. What does he expect these farmers to do when his party puts them out of work?
Tobacco Act March 6th, 1997
Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his comments. If it is a question of raising tobacco taxes like the Reform Party would have us do or putting in an education program, I would certainly support the education program rather than increasing an export tax.