Mr. Speaker, NDP members present this evening vote no on the main motion.
Lost his last election, in 2000, with 42% of the vote.
Division No. 381 April 20th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present this evening vote no on the main motion.
Income Tax Amendments Act, 1998 April 20th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present this evening vote yes on this amendment.
Division No. 375 April 13th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present vote yes one more time.
Division No. 374 April 13th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present vote yes to this motion.
Division No. 373 April 13th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present this evening vote yes to this motion.
Division No. 371 April 13th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present vote yes to the amendment.
Division No. 368 April 13th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present vote yes to this motion.
Coastal Fisheries Protection Act April 13th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, NDP members present this evening vote yes to this motion.
Gasoline Prices March 25th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the big oil companies have confirmed what every Canadian consumer believes when they said to the National Post , “When did costs have anything to do with gasoline pricing”.
The world crude oil price fell 60%, 17 months ago, but it took 15 long months for gas prices in Saskatchewan to drop even a couple of cents. Now crude oil prices are rising slowly but it only takes 15 hours for gas prices to jump right back again, an unjustifiable gouging of Canadians.
The major oil companies brag that Canada has among the lowest gas prices of the G-7 countries, but they do not tell Canadians that we have the highest prices of any oil exporters. The gas retail market in Canada is dominated by those four big elephants that sing “It's every man for himself” to their tiny competitors while they dance all over them, according to Tommy Douglas.
The Competition Bureau is supposed to report soon on its investigation on predatory gas pricing in Saskatchewan following the complaint I made along with my leader and my NDP Saskatchewan colleagues.
I call on the major oil refiners to quit gouging Canadians on gas prices.
Social Programs March 24th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the phony debate between the Liberals and Reform Party on productivity has nothing to do with productivity at all.
Reform, the Liberals and their right wing friends at Nesbitt Burns and the Fraser Institute just want to cut taxes for the rich and gut wages and working standards for everyone else.
If we read the KPMG study of business costs carefully, it makes another, altogether different point: “Canada and the United Kingdom both enjoy a significant labour cost advantage over the third place United States, where relatively high costs for employer sponsored benefits drive up total labour costs”.
In other words, Canada's social programs give us a leg up on the competition.
Our public health care system, our public pensions and other benefits all help make our workers and our businesses more productive and competitive.
No wonder Regina and Saskatoon are listed in the KPMG report as better places to do business than Calgary or any of our American neighbours in the midwest. In fact, better public programs for income support, child care and training would further reduce the cost of doing business and thereby continue to improve our productivity in Canada.