House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 55% of the vote.
Employment March 31st, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I can only hope that the newspapers are correct today in what they are reporting, but according to the newspapers the amount of money that is being lent depends upon the jobs being created.
After five years, if the jobs are not there then the money is not there. There is another party as well contributing to this according to the newspapers: $7 million from a provincial government. What political party? The same party the hon. member wishes to unite with.
Employment March 31st, 2000
Mr. Speaker, if that party across the way, whatever its name is, were ever to gain power it would cancel all the ACOA grants and loans. It would cancel western diversification funds. It would cut $3 billion from our senior citizens.
Canadians need not worry. That party will never come to power, and that is according to its own past leader. It is not a government in waiting. It is just a party debating with itself.
Employment March 31st, 2000
Mr. Speaker, if the newspaper clippings are correct this morning, if the news media are correct this morning, the federal involvement would be about 12 cents on every dollar for wages. If the jobs are not created in that five years then no money will be spent.
What a marvellous formula to attract American companies to economically depressed Cape Breton Island.
Employment March 31st, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is getting her information from the media, from the press gallery. That is the reports this morning.
I am not about to criticize the press gallery. I have been here long enough to know that the press, like the proverbial customer, is always right. If in fact the press is right, it means a thousand jobs from the United States to the economically depressed area of Cape Breton. What wonderful news for Canadians today.
Human Resources Development March 27th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the majority of these 19 investigations which the hon. member referred to actually involve ACOA in the eastern region. Three of them concern only the applications because no money was spent. Separate from that, three of them involve investigations into provincial involvement. With four of them the grants were given out when the Tories were in power. We are still trying to clean up the mess left by the hon. member's government.
The Atlantic Groundfish Strategy March 20th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman is on a fishing expedition. The TAGS program, the compensation program for fishermen on the east coast, started under the Tory government, as announced by the hon. John Crosbie.
When we look at the auditor general's report on all of these programs we find that the worst violations were under the Tory administration. It singled out the massive expenditure, the millions of dollars, on a road to nowhere. That is exactly where this hon. member's party is today.
The Atlantic Groundfish Strategy March 20th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the auditor general's report is very clear concerning grants and loans given out by the federal government. It is this: both the auditor general and the public accounts show very clearly that there were two years in which there were a lot of mistakes made. Those were in the years 1991 and 1992 when such assistance programs started. Who was in power at that time? I do not want to embarrass the hon. member. Mr. Speaker, you tell him who was in power.
Tags March 20th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, for the hon. member's information, TAGS was actually created under the Tory government, prior to the Liberal's coming to power. We signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of National Revenue to protect our taxpayers to make sure that any moneys owed would be collected. This is good Liberal common sense to protect the taxpayers' dollars.
Council For Canadian Unity March 20th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, each of the applications is approved by the Government of Quebec. What is the problem with the Government of Quebec? Is the hon. member saying today that the Government of Quebec is bad, yes or no?
Human Resources Development March 17th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the hon. member is not aware that in cases of grants under HRDC or loans under ACOA, where there is money owed to the federal government, we have signed an understanding with the best collection agency in Canada to collect that money. It chases somebody right to the grave. Granted, the collection agency is headed by a prominent Liberal from Quebec. I might as well admit that. It is called Revenue Canada Taxation.