Mr. Speaker, I am taking note of the hon. member's request that the federal government get involved in the jurisdictions of the other levels of government.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 51% of the vote.
The Budget February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I am taking note of the hon. member's request that the federal government get involved in the jurisdictions of the other levels of government.
The Budget February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I reviewed this issue with a number of representatives of small business who, by the way, have been expressing, quite clearly, their satisfaction with the budget of Tuesday where a number of measures were put forward that met their requests.
On this one, it is, at this point in time, rather difficult to contemplate what kind of system could repay employers without divulging information that is private with respect to the activities of their employees.
The Budget February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I accepted two thirds of the recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Finance, whether in whole or in part. I think that it is not so bad for the parliamentary committee.
Infrastructure February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how she felt interrupted, but I can assure her I listened closely to her question.
I was waiting for her to mention the money we put into homelessness; the money we put into affordable housing; the $5 billion we put into infrastructure in the last two budgets, much of which is still not spent; the money we put into health care that helps people who live in the cities; the money we put into a clean environment to make clean air better for people living in cities; and the money we have given to poor children, many of whom live in cities.
I would not have interrupted her if she had put all those things in her question.
The Budget February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I believe that this institute is important in establishing an information base for all provinces that will help in identifying the best practices in each. It is possible that Quebec's practices might prove very beneficial to the other provinces.
Ethics February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, there is no loophole. There are provisions that have been established as a result of the Parker Commission that deal with the situation where a minister has private holdings which enable him to deal with those in a framework as established by the ethics counsellor.
I am sure the hon. member would agree that to have private holdings ought not to be an obstacle to public service.
Member for LaSalle--Émard February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I would point out that Mr. Justice Parker, in his commentary on this, indicated that the blind trust should never be used for anything like a family business or a family firm.
The rules that were in place were complied with. The ethics counsellor overviewed the requirements and ensured that compliance was adequate.
Member for LaSalle--Émard February 20th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, the arrangements that were in place were those that were appropriate to the circumstances and, in fact, reflect the views of the Parker commission that reviewed these matters in the past. The former minister complied entirely with the requirements before him.
The Budget February 19th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, in the budget, we signalled our intention to continue to support the construction of strategic infrastructure over the next 10 years, with an additional $3 billion investment, which is in addition to the $5 billion that had already been made available, some of which remains to be spent.
Given the choice of investing in highways or children living in poverty, I am going to choose children living in poverty.
The Budget February 19th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is going to act within those areas of responsibility that come under its jurisdiction. We are going to make the investments Canadians want us to make for children in families of modest means, the environment, the Canadian Forces, infrastructure, and health. This is our responsibility. At our level of government, we are going to do what needs to be done.