John Finlay

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have nothing to hide. I worked for 36 years in education. I have a teacher's pension. I pay taxes like every other Canadian on the money I earn. It is considerable and I pay considerable taxes. That is my only point.

When I say I have not earned my MP pension I mean that I have paid for it but I have not earned it yet. I have to get elected again. It is not granted on one term. I certainly hope that I am back here after the next election and that some of my colleagues across the way are not. They do not want the pension anyway.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, if our workforce were at the same level now in 1997 as it was in 1993, unemployment would be at 6.4. per cent, not 9.7 per cent. Revenues are up because more people are working and more people are paying taxes. If they were not up more than the GDP then how could we reduce the deficit? It cannot be both ways. Revenue cannot be kept at this point and reduce the deficit. It is not possible, and all Canadians understand that.

I am sure the hon. member for Hillsborough wants to get started so I will cease here.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

That is right, especially the Reform Party. My friend from Kootenay East used figures very constructively a little earlier. He talked about the GDP increasing 9.5 per cent and the revenue increasing 12.5 per cent. This was some sort of sleight of hand, some sort of disaster-

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Our values are jobs, health care, education and our children.

I listened much more quietly to the hon. members opposite than they care to listen to me. However, you really have to repeat things over and over again, don't you?

In 1998-99, for the first time in 28 years, the government will not have to borrow any new money. We will be in the best position among the G7 nations. The rapid turnaround of our finances has boosted confidence in the economy. This confidence encourages investment. It keeps interest rates low and helps to create jobs. Employment has grown by 91,000 jobs in the last four months alone. Private sector forecasters expect 300,000 to 350,000 new jobs this year.

There is an old saw that says "figures don't lie, but liars can figure". I am not calling anyone a liar, in case somebody rises. I will change the saw "figures don't lie, but politicians often fool around with figures".

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

What government, with scarce resources, shows what its values are.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we need to congratulate another large group and that is the citizens of this country who have gone along consistently with the government and the successive budgets that the Minister of Finance has brought forward. They are now reaping the benefits of that support. We are now able to say: "Here is some money for this and here is some money for that". We are going to meet our goals.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

I earned it.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

I earned it.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

I pay so much income tax on what I earn that I cannot survive without my teacher's pension. Let us not worry about that.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Fraser Valley West talks about my pension. I have not earned an MP's pension yet.