House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1997, with 54% of the vote.
Public Sector Pension Plans April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, during the history of the pension funds, every time there has been a deficit, every cent of the deficit has been paid by the Canadian government and therefore by the Canadian taxpayers. This is a legislated plan whereby the benefits are promised to the employees. It is legislated by law, whatever the state of the plan.
Once again, the lawyers, the actuaries, the accountants and the auditor general are clear that the surplus belongs to the taxpayers.
Pensions April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, there is a legal precedent, which goes all the way to the supreme court and which is known as The Province of Quebec v. Villeneuve, in which the supreme court said very clearly that the Province of Quebec was entitled to appropriate the surplus.
It was entitled for the same reason we are, namely that deficits have always been paid by taxpayers and so the surpluses belong to the taxpayers.
Pensions April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague misunderstands the question.
The reason there is an increase in contributions is simply that public servants in the future will be treated exactly like any other Canadian taxpayer and they will pay the increases in the Canada pension plan. What does my colleague want, that public servants pay something that discriminates against other taxpayers? What does she want, that the public servants would pay less than what every other Canadian taxpayer will pay? Come on.
Pensions April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the contribution paid by public servants to the pension plan is a fixed contribution that was equal to 7.5% of their salary. For that price, they got benefits that are among the richest in the country, and fine. Public servants have worked hard and deserve their pension plan.
However, they did not share any of the risk in the pension plan. Whenever there were deficits, it was the taxpayers of Canada who paid for them, not the public servants. The lawyers, the accountants, the actuaries and the auditor general are very clear that this surplus belongs to Canadian taxpayers.
Pensions April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, once again, that surplus belongs to the taxpayers because the public servants have not paid one cent of the deficits that have been accumulated in the plan.
When the plan was indexed, that plan acquired a liability of $8 billion and more at one go. No public servant paid a cent of that $8 billion deficit. The taxpayers were in charge of paying and that is still the situation.
Pensions April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is wrong. Once again he does not understand what is going on.
With private sector pension plans, when the risk is shared between employers and employees, there is a sharing of deficits and surpluses. In this case we have a legislated plan, a plan where the benefits of civil servants are guaranteed by law and a plan where the government has paid for all the deficits before. Not a cent has been charged to the public servants. In this case the legal situation is clear. The surplus belongs to taxpayers.
Pensions April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, once again the lawyers, the actuaries, the accountants and the auditor general all say that this surplus belongs to the taxpayers.
The Reform Party, of all parties, the party that says it is dedicated to the taxpayers, how does it dare want to take that money away from those it truly and legally belongs to, the taxpayers? How does it dare do this?
Pensions April 26th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, if I were a member of the Reform Party, I would really be ashamed. It is the party that said it would defend the rights of the taxpayers.
This money belongs to the taxpayers. The government will give the pensioners everything it has promised them by law. The government will give every public servant every benefit and more, that they are guaranteed by law.
During the life of the plan, it is the taxpayers who have paid all the deficits. This surplus belongs to the taxpayers.
Pensions April 23rd, 1999
Mr. Speaker, once again this is money that belongs to taxpayers. The government guarantees all pension benefits of all public servants, everything they have earned and everything they have bargained for. Everything that was in their contract with the government will be implemented.
These people, the seniors, men and women, will receive the exact benefits they were promised under the law. The law guarantees them these benefits and the surplus, as the lawyers, the accountants, the auditor general and the actuaries say, belongs to taxpayers.
Pensions April 23rd, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised by the position of the Reform Party. I am more than surprised; I am sad. I am really sad because this money belongs to Canadian taxpayers.
This is the party that has been telling people that it will defend their interest. This is the party that has been telling people that it would try to reduce the debt. The government is doing what is right and what is legal by giving back to Canadian taxpayers what belongs to them, and the Reform Party of all parties has the temerity and the audacity, which really makes me sad, to try to steal that money from the Canadian taxpayer.