Lost her last election, in 2006, with 39% of the vote.
National Defence February 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence. As the minister knows, there is substantial concern about the treatment of civilian employees at Canadian forces bases where certain operations are being privatized.
Is the minister prepared to take action so that employees at our bases are treated fairly?
Winter Olympics February 13th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, this morning in Nagano, Japan Team Canada began its bid for a gold medal in men's hockey by defeating Belarus by a score of 5-0.
All Canadians share a sense of pride in the calibre of our men's hockey team. We have great expectations.
There are three families in my riding of Whitby—Ajax that will be on the edge of their seats throughout this whole tournament. These are the families of Joe Nieuwendyk, Adam Foote and Keith Primeau. These three talented players are products of the Whitby Minor Hockey Association.
The town of Whitby wanted to recognize and cheer on our local heroes. Several weeks ago I was thrilled to participate in the kick-off of a banner signing campaign. Thousands of Whitby residents signed the congratulatory banners which were presented to the families for delivery to the players in Nagano.
All of Canada will be cheering our team on. Members will appreciate, however, that the cheers from Whitby will be a little louder, especially for our three homegrown boys.
To Adam, Joe and Keith, bring home the gold.
Canadian Armed Forces February 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.
On last week's tour of military bases in western Canada, the defence committee heard shocking testimony about many of our military personnel living in substandard housing, unable to properly provide for their families.
To the sea of families who fear that the committee's report will be shelved and forgotten, what assurances can the minister give that the report will be taken seriously and acted upon in a timely fashion?
Income Tax Amendments Act, 1997 February 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak in favour of Bill C-28 today because the bill is about the basic values of all Canadians. It is about people helping other people. It is about Canadians helping Canadians. It is about encouraging donations to registered charities. It is about encouraging and facilitating further investment in higher education. It is about the government's commitment to move forward together as a society without leaving anyone behind.
As Bill C-28 is a very lengthy and detailed bill touching many aspects of the Canadian economy, I will briefly summarize each of the major clauses of the bill before I focus my remarks on what I consider to be the more notable components of the legislation.
Touching most Canadians are the provisions of the bill to increase the cash floor for the Canada health and social transfer to the province from $11 billion to $12.5 billion. This would put close to $7 billion more over five years into the hands of provincial governments that are tasked with administering key social programs.
Bill C-28 also provides greater incentives to contribute to registered charities, providing their donors with the same level of tax relief as those who contribute to federal organizations and crown corporations.
We are encouraging investment in education by increasing the annual RESP contribution limit from $2,000 to $4,000 per beneficiary. We are changing the rules to allow parents whose children do not eventually pursue higher education to transfer the money into RRSPs.
Also included in the bill is the introduction of a new 11% tax credit for Canadian film and video production services. This provision is designed to provide much needed assistance to the Canadian film makers with labour costs associated with producing a film or a video.
In the legislation the government is also providing a guarantee that there will be no change in the income tax treatment of recipients of disability benefits when the insurance company paying the benefits becomes insolvent and employers take responsibility for continuing the level of benefits.
Bill C-28 changes the rules regarding loss trading. It eliminates the double deduction of personal tax credits for bankrupt individuals in the year of bankruptcy. It provides rules that apply when a corporation ceases to be exempt from income tax. It implements earlier announced measures concerning inventory held as an adventure of trade and how they must be valued for income tax purposes.
I said at the beginning of my remarks that I was truly pleased to stand here in support of the bill today. The years of deficit cutting were not easy for Canadians and they were not easy for government.
We knew that we could not continue borrowing on the future of our younger generations by spending beyond our means. Canadians knew this well and supported our efforts to bring the deficit under control. They knew there would be sacrifices but they also knew that the deficit was destroying the future of the country and that it had to be eliminated.
The NDP will argue that we gave up on the most vulnerable in our society, that we broke the deficit on the backs of the poor and the unemployed. The reality is that the deficit was destroying our ability and our capacity to care for the very people about whom the NDP says it is so concerned.
Today is a good day. Canadians are now beginning to see the rewards of making that commitment, which brings me to what I first considered to be the most important part of the bill.
As I noted earlier, Bill C-28 provides for an increase in the cash floor to Canada health and social transfer to the province to $12.5 billion from the $11 billion. The rise in the Canada health and social transfer cash floor will put close to $7 billion in additional funding into the hands of the provinces over the next five years to support key programs. The CHST consists of a combination of cash and tax points. Tax points are simply a reduction of federal tax rates, allowing provinces to raise additional revenues without increasing the overall tax burden. The value of tax points increases as the economy grows. CHST transfers, a combination of cash transfers and tax points, will total more than $25 billion in 1997-98. They will grow by at least 2.5% a year to reach more than $28 billion in 2002-03.
The Canada health and social transfer was introduced in the 1995 budget to reform the system of federal transfers to the provinces and territories as part of the Liberal government's efforts to improve the effectiveness of the Canadian federation. The CHST replaced federal transfers for social assistance and social services under the Canada assistance plan and for health and post-secondary education under established programs financing.
The CHST provides provinces with greater flexibility to develop and administer programs of provincial responsibility. The end of cost sharing rules has opened the door for provincial innovation in service delivery. Provinces have the flexibility to tailor services to their populations, allowing for more innovation such as community health centres in Quebec, for extramural hospitals or hospital services provided in homes in New Brunswick, and for quick response medical teams in British Columbia.
Key protections remain. The federal government continues to uphold the principles of the Canada Health Act with the power to deduct from cash transfers if provinces fail to meet federal criteria. Social assistance must continue to be accessible without provincial residency requirements to ensure Canadians are free to move unrestricted within the country.
Another advantage for the provinces of the CHST over its predecessors is its stability and predictability. CHST levels have been legislated over a five year period so that provincial governments may plan their budgets accordingly. Cash transfers are guaranteed not to fall below the $12.5 billion per year level.
The CHST is also fair. In the first year CHST levels are calculated based on provincial shares of former transfers. They are gradually being adjusted to more accurately reflect the population distribution among the provinces. By 2002-03 per capita disparities will be reduced by about half. Equalization transfers continue to be paid to provinces with greater need, to ensure that comparable services are available to Canadians no matter where they live.
In his last budget the Minister of Finance reminded us that a government relieved of the deficit burden is not a government relieved of its obligations. It is a government able to exercise its obligations. We have an obligation to encourage post-secondary education. Most business leaders will say that the key to success is to identify what we do best and then do it better than anyone else.
Canada has the capacity to turn out the world's most highly trained workforce. We are already doing so in the area of computer animation. Canada produces the best computer animators in the world. In particular the program at Sheridan College in Mississauga has been so successful that Walt Disney Studios has decided to build an animation studio in the greater Toronto area.
We can realize similar successes in other areas such as the high tech and telecommunications sectors, but we have to stress and continue to encourage post-secondary education with a focus on high technology areas.
The government recognizes this and I am pleased to see the increase in the registered education savings plan contributions contained in the bill. This is the second concrete move by the government toward securing a world class education system, with the creation of the millennium scholarship fund recently announced in the Speech from the Throne.
I have listened to Reform Party members criticize the bill over the course of the debate. It has been difficult to determine exactly where the Reform Party stands. One member criticizes the government for high taxes and high spending. Another Reform member will tell us that we have to spend more on health and education.
Because I wanted to know exactly where Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition stood on what I consider to be the general direction of the government, I paid a visit to the official Reform Party of Canada web site. I did not find anything there to help. In fact it became more confusing.
In one press release the member for Yellowhead criticized the government for not spending enough on education. In another the Leader of the Opposition called for 100% of any surplus to be spent on tax and debt reduction.
Finally, in the Reform Party's “Beyond a Balanced Budget” the party across the way says it will reduce government spending to $94 billion. That is a $6 billion cut. The reality is the Reform Party has no clear vision for Canada.
The provision in the bill encouraging contributions to registered charities is further evidence of this government's commitment to the core values of Canadians. Canadians want to help others in times of need. It is, in fact, the sentiment which unites us as a country, which results in the moving scenes we witnessed when the Saguenay and Red River Valley were ravaged by flooding or when so many communities were devastated in the recent ice storms.
I know that the thousands of dollars and the many volunteers from the riding of Whitby—Ajax helped and continue to help the relief efforts in eastern Ontario and Quebec. I know that every member can say the same about his or her constituency.
I urge all members to join me in supporting this piece of legislation and in helping to continue to build a nation which is the envy of the world.
National Revenue November 25th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has characterized as heavy handed and inflexible Revenue Canada's announcement that even without postal service Canadians still have to make their payments on time.
Given that the postal strike is making it difficult for many individuals and businesses to send their payments to Revenue Canada, is the department prepared to show any flexibility and understanding during the course of this strike for late or missed payments?
Peacekeeping November 4th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to serving the cause of fighting for freedom and justice in time of war, Canada has taken a back seat to no nation. This week as we celebrate the contributions made by our servicemen and women during times of conflict we should also remember their heroic efforts throughout the past half century in keeping the peace. I am of course referring to our peacekeepers.
With its origins going back to the late 1940s, the term peacekeeper has become synonymous with the word Canadian. From Suez to Cypress to Yugoslavia and at times and places in between the United Nations has called on Canadians to help out, and help out they have.
Tens of thousands have served in more than 40 separate peacekeeping missions around the world. More than a hundred have lost their lives and hundreds more have been wounded. They continue to serve as we speak.
Canada and the nations around the world remain in their debt for their protection—
Cametoid Advanced Technologies Limited October 28th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the honour to announce a repayable loan investment of $450,000 through Technology Partnerships Canada to Cametoid Advanced Technologies Limited, a company in my riding.
Cametoid is a world leader in the development of protective coatings for the aerospace industry and this investment will help Cametoid move forward and develop new technologies that will enhance Canada's capabilities in this very important area.
Developing advanced technologies is one of the goals the federal government has identified for Technology Partnerships Canada, creating meaningful employment is another. Once the project has been successfully completed and the firm moves to full commercialization it is expected that about 17 new direct jobs as well as 10 to 20 indirect jobs will be created in my riding.
With creative partnerships like this one with Cametoid this government is helping to build the kind of economic development that we need in the coming century. We are developing the foundation—
Poverty October 20th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I rise before Parliament today to pay tribute to the United Nations Association in Canada and to commend it for promoting the international day for the eradication of poverty.
The Government of Canada takes poverty very seriously. The new national child benefit system and the announcement in the Speech from the Throne that we will double our additional investment in this initiative for Canadian children are reflections of our commitment to eradicate the conditions among our youngest citizens that can lead to lives of deprivation and despair.
From our earliest days as a nation, Canadians have always understood that ensuring our mutual welfare is critical to the survival of the country. We have consistently responded with compassion.
Today in this country we are being called on to wage a battle against child poverty and I have every confidence that Canadians will rally to the call.
The international day for the eradication of poverty is a time to rededicate ourselves to this crucial cause. I urge all members of the House to help ensure a brighter future for Canada by working with this government to take steps to eradicate poverty
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act October 7th, 1997
As I was saying, I served as the vice-chair of the Whitby seniors advisory committee for six years. I have had the opportunity to discuss the issue over and over again with my constituents. I had the opportunity during the last campaign to discuss it.
The residents of my community overwhelmingly support the retention of a Canada pension plan. They all agree that a universal plan, an affordable plan and a secure plan is necessary.
We are providing this. We are providing a good deal of dignity to those workers who cannot afford to participate in a private venture. When these workers collect their pension they will know it is their pension, not a government handout.
Given the substantial changes in our demographics, a much higher than anticipated ratio of retirees to worker and the longer life expectancy, I believe we found the best possible solution. I call on members opposite to support this very important legislation.
I remind members of the House of words of the finance minister in his budget speech:
The ultimate test of a nation is its will and capacity to support those who are most vulnerable, to sustain the programs on which everyone of its citizens depend.
The government continues to demonstrate that it has the will and the capacity to provide a Canada pension plan that is fair, accountable and affordable.
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act October 7th, 1997
I seem to be hitting a nerve. I served as vice-chair of the Whitby seniors advisory committee—