Rick Borotsik

[Motions For Papers, March 17th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, I have given the number twice already. Perhaps I could do it once again. P-50 is what I am referring to at this point. It was filed on October 5, 1998 by me.

[Motions For Papers, March 17th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, I rise again on a point of order. I would like to now, once again, place the question to the hon. member with respect to a request I made on October 5 under the production of papers. It is 162 days since I made the request and I have yet to receive any answer. This is the proper timing now to put the question to the hon. member.

[Questions On The Order Paper, March 17th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, I stand to ask a question which I asked previously on the production of papers. Question No. P-50 was filed on October 5, which was exactly 162 days ago. I have yet to receive any answer on this production of paper and I would like to know why.

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member made a comment about the Liberal government being caring and compassionate. I wonder if the member may wish to expand on that a bit and talk about his caring and compassionate government as it refers to hepatitis C, as it refers to the gutting and the destroying of the health care system in this country and perhaps the caring and compassionate Liberal government when it chased our children from this country to the United States because of an overburdened taxation system.

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it takes me longer than that to clear my throat.

I was all caught up in this visionary concept that the member for Rainy River and the Liberal Party bring to this country. However, I was not quite that caught up with it because one of the parts of their vision was to rip up the free trade deal that was put in place by a previous government. A part of their vision obviously is to put health care back to 1995 levels. Is that the part of the vision the member from the Liberal Party embraces, to scrap the free trade agreement and bring health care back to the 1995 level where we should be well ahead of it in the year 2003?

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Never an alternative.

[Agriculture, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, last week the agriculture committee travelled to Washington and it did not take very long for the committee to realize that there is a very strange relationship between Americans and Canadians when it comes to agricultural trade.

According to U.S. officials, they have targeted supply management as a deal breaker in the next round of negotiations. The Canadian Wheat Board is still in their sights.

Recognizing that open market access is very necessary for Canadian agricultural trade, is the agriculture minister prepared to sacrifice supply management or sacrifice market access to other agricultural commodities?

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned in her dissertation the effect that interest rates have on the deficit and the paying off of the debt and the deficit. Is the member aware that the Canadian Bond Rating Service has criticized the last budget as being heavy on spending and light on tax and debt relief? In fact, that could reflect an increase in interest rates and this government obviously would then have to pay more money in order to service the debt.

I would like to have the member indicate what the long term plan of the government is to retiring that debt. We see a contingency fund of $3 billion that will be used to retire the debt only if it is not used for something else. Perhaps the member would like to answer those two questions regarding interest rates and the contingency plan.

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, first, I am sure the hon. member recognizes that the deficit was put there by previous Liberal governments. I know he will take responsibility for that.

I would like to quickly touch on two issues. One is the $5.4 billion per year. I assume if a dollar a day per taxpayer adds up to $5.4 billion per year the hon. member recognizes that when his government charges a dollar a day to the taxpayers of Canada it also generates revenue of $5.4 billion per year, which it has been increasing and not decreasing over the last five years.

I have a question about research and development. I give full marks for the dollars being put back into the budget for research and development. Would he touch on the Canadian aerospace funds of $400 million which were recently detailed in the WTO report as being an illegal subsidy to Canadian aerospace?

[The Budget, March 2nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is rather interesting to see the kind of spin the government can place on this component of the budget. I speak of health care.

I listened to the hon. member. I would ask him if he would not admit to the House today that even with the billions of dollars placed back into health care it will simply bring health care funding up to 1995 levels.

I listened with a great deal of interest to the research and development aspect the member took with respect to health care. Is he aware that the two major cost drivers in health care today are technology and inflation?

If we are going back simply to 1995 levels, if we cannot afford technology and it cannot be put into place, how will that help the health care system?