Alex Nuttall

[Statistics Act, February 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, certainly I would like to thank the member for his passionate words beforehand. The member may take exception to what I am saying in the House, but everything I am saying is true. There is no plan. We have not seen a single plan put forward with a single measurable thing to put Canadians back to work.

If there is a plan, could the member please stand and tell us how many jobs the Liberals are looking to create with the private sector in the natural resources industry? How many jobs are they looking to create in manufacturing? How are they going to stop those jobs from going to the United States? How many jobs are going to be lost because of payroll taxes?

The reality is that there is no plan. In fact, I will go further than that. Not only is there no plan to create jobs, the Liberals' plan is killing jobs. Quite frankly, the member needs—

[Statistics Act, February 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, it is certainly an honour to rise today to speak to Bill C-36, regarding some changes to Statistics Canada and some of the reporting mechanisms, as well as the council that provides advice to the minister and to Statistics Canada as a whole.

As I have looked across the aisle throughout the last 16 months, I have seen a government that has been slow to action on bills. In fact, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development has tabled three bills in this House. The first was regarding copyrighted works for persons with disabilities. I know that was something that was worked on prior to the government taking office. The second one was the disclosure of corporate boards, which is actually at the industry committee right now. The third one is Bill C-36, which is on the floor of the House right now.

What we have not seen to date is legislation from the government that is going to tackle the issues that Canadians are dealing with. It actually does not matter what part of the country they are in. For Canadians who are out west, in Alberta, there are obviously many issues with natural resources, with the oil sector, etc. For those in Ontario, manufacturing had a very tough time last year and, quite frankly, it has had a tough time for the last decade. What we would like to see from the government is some action on what it outlined there would be action on in its own throne speech on December 4, 2015.

Turning to this bill, which is obviously hiring a new Statistics Canada director, as well as the 10-person committee that is going to be reporting to Statistics Canada and to the minister, it is interesting that we see a change from 13 persons down to 10. That means there is inevitably going to be territories or provinces that will not be included in this reporting structure. We also see a disbanding of this council without a change in focus, if that is what was being asked for, which essentially gives the opportunity for the government to put its own appointees on this board.

It is interesting. When I was looking through the throne speech, I found an entire paragraph regarding open and transparent government. In it, it says:

Also notable are the things the Government will not do: it will not use government ads for partisan purposes; it will not interfere with the work of parliamentary officers; and it will not resort to devices like prorogation and omnibus bills to avoid scrutiny.

I found interesting that what was not in there was the appointing of cronies, the appointing of friends. What this bill is doing is it is eliminating 13 people who have been appointed in the past and it is appointing what I can only guess will be 10 Liberal friends. The minister appointed 10 other friends previously to the innovation council, which has travelled across the country. They have tabled a report, yet nothing has actually come to Parliament from that report.

What I would really like to see going forward from the government is a change in focus. There are certainly these bills and things we need to be working on, but it is not just what is being proposed by the government, it is also what is not being proposed by the government. The Liberals said in their own throne speech, in the opening paragraph, that Canadians:

....want to be able to trust their government.

And they want leadership that is focused on the things that matter most to them.

Things like growing the economy; creating jobs; strengthening the middle class, and helping those working hard to join it.

Through careful consideration and respectful conduct, the Government can meet these challenges, and all others brought before it.

I will admit that in the last year there have been some movements the government has tried. I disagree with its philosophy and the ways in which it is proposing changes for our country in terms of tax structures, but it has tried to meet a couple of these in terms of strengthening the middle class.

However, what the Liberals have not done is they have not focused on jobs. They have not focused on opportunity for Canadians. They have not focused on those who are working hard to join the middle class, because what those people need more than anything else is a job. What they need is an opportunity to be prosperous. That just is not being talked about.

We have had the minister in this place at question period. We have had him at committee, speaking about a plan and a strategy that is to come. We have waited and waited. It is now 16 months after the last election and we still do not have a plan to create jobs in our country. Nothing has been put forward by the minister, no bill, no strategy, no plan that delineates what the Government of Canada would do to create an environment where jobs could be created.

It does not matter whether we are talking about the natural resources sector, which lost over 29,000 jobs last year, or the manufacturing sector, which lost 53,000 jobs last year, or entrepreneurs, over 70,000 of whom closed their doors last year, or even agriculture, which lost over 19,000 last year. The government has failed to put a plan or strategy before Canadians.

The three bills brought forward by the minister are things that need to be worked on, but two out of the three of them were on the shelf from the previous government. Two out of three of them were started under the previous Conservative government. What has the minister been doing for the last 16 months? Why has a strategy not been tabled before the House? Why do we not, as an assembly of the people, know what the targets are for the government? What is it trying to achieve? How many jobs is it trying to create? What sectors is it seeking to grow? What businesses, what associations is it working with?

Right now we have zero information on this front, and the longer I sit on the industry, science and technology committee, depending on who we talk to, the more I realize nothing is coming forward. There is no plan. There is no opportunity being created for Canadians. There is no strategy to get those who are out of work, whose jobs have left the country, back to work.

We need to focus on this going forward. It will not be enough to deal with bills, like appointing a new chief statistician. It will not be enough to put a bill that was on the shelf from the previous government regarding copyrighted works before the House. It is not enough to talk about the disclosure of boards. What the people of Canada were expecting from the government was leadership, and what they were expecting from the minister in particular was a strategy to put Canadians back to work, a strategy to ensure that our natural resource sector would rebound, a strategy to ensure that our manufacturing and agricultural sectors would be able to move forward.

What we have is the opposite. We have a minister for jobs, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, who has not put a plan forward at all to create jobs in our country. We have a Minister of Finance who is raising taxes all over the place. It does not matter whether it carbon taxes, or payroll taxes, or eliminating tax credits, what we have seen is not a jobs minister looking at a strategy to create jobs, but a finance minister looking at a strategy to take money away from businesses that would otherwise be invested in jobs.

The industry committee has had many opportunities to talk about things like carbon tax. Unfortunately it is not something my friends on the other side of the aisle want to speak about. We have had many opportunities to talk about a plethora of items that we could use to at least determine the future of how the Canadian job market would look like. We have not gone down that road. Instead we are dealing with these three bills that are really operational matters.

I would ask today that the minister do his job, that the minister bring forward a strategy, that he follow through on his words that he spoke in this great chamber and put forward a plan for job growth in Canada, a plan to create an environment where Canadians will be prosperous and successful, earn their livings and provide for their families.

[Industry, February 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the Prime Minister and his government are proud of the 53,000 manufacturing jobs they transitioned out of Canada last year.

While the new American administration is reducing taxation and regulations on business, the Prime Minister is sending jobs across the border by increasing them. In the last year alone, the Prime Minister has taxed 97,000 agricultural, natural resources, and manufacturing jobs out of this country.

When will the government stop taxing Canadians onto the unemployment line?

[Industry, February 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, last week another Ontario community lost over 600 manufacturing jobs because of bad Liberal policy.

It is not a coincidence that GM moved to Mexico 28 days after a Liberal carbon tax. After a decade of Liberal mismanagement, manufacturing is in steep decline in Ontario.

When will the Prime Minister stop driving the GMC Terrain to Mexico?

[Business of Supply, February 2nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I would implore my colleagues across the way to show the respect for the New Democratic member that he deserves, being a member of this place and elected by his constituents.

Going back to the question, what the government is doing is taking let us say $10 from a family, then giving them a little back, and then taxing them far more. It does not matter whether it is the health benefits, or a carbon tax, or payroll taxes, there will not be a Canadian, after the government has finished raising all of these taxes, who will get more back than he or she has given.

The Liberals are making us less competitive, and harder for entrepreneurs, young people, and those who are fighting day in and day out to make ends meet. They are making it harder for everyone to be successful, to be prosperous. That is why we need a change in direction. It is time to change course, and I implore my colleagues to do so.

[Business of Supply, February 2nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that all the people of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte know where Vaughan—Woodbridge is it is just 45 minutes away. I hope the member knows where Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte is.

I know the government's heart was in the right place when it brought forward this policy. I am not debating whether Liberals are trying to do the wrong thing. I am telling them they are doing the wrong thing. When they say to people that here is a little bit back, or here is a little more because people are in a situation that is challenging economically and financially and then charge them more for gasoline, for food and for everything they need in their lives to survive, it just does not work.

We need to focus on reducing costs for families. We need to focus on ensuring that Canada is competitive going forward, especially in these times where we have a regime south of the border that is reducing regulation and taxes. We need to ensure that Canada is not just competitive with the United States, but better.

[Business of Supply, February 2nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to be here now for close to a year and a half and have witnessed tax after tax brought forward by the Liberal government. These taxes have been wide-ranging. They have included, obviously, the payroll taxes and carbon taxes and removing tax credits for recreation, hockey, soccer, organized sports, the arts, piano lessons, drama, many other activities, and taking care of loved ones at home.

What we have seen to date is Canada becoming less competitive. Canada is behind the rest of the world, while things are obviously changing south of the border in the other direction, where there is a reduction in regulations and taxes taking place.

Every opportunity I get to stand in this House I like to go back to where we started and what brought us here. On November 20, the government was sworn in, and on December 4, the Liberal government put its throne speech out. I would like to quote a few paragraphs from that throne speech to give some context to the speech I am giving today:

[Canadians] want leadership that is focused on the things that matter most to them. Things like growing the economy; creating jobs; strengthening the middle class, and helping those working hard to join it.

[Canadians] want to be able to trust their government.

This is not a speech on electoral reform, so I will leave that to the side today. However, certainly, I would question whether the policies the government is putting forward are actually doing the things it set out in the throne speech.

Is this increased taxation helping people join the middle class? Is this increased taxation helping the middle class that is working hard? Is this increased taxation creating prosperity in Canada?

Further on in the throne speech, there is an entire section called “Growth for the Middle Class”. I would like to read a little out of that as well:

First and foremost, the Government believes that all Canadians should have a real and fair chance to succeed. Central to that success is a strong and growing middle class.

The Government will, as an immediate priority, deliver a tax cut for the middle class.

This is the fair thing to do, and the smart thing to do for Canada’s economy.

The Government has also committed to provide more direct help to those who need it by giving less to those who do not. The new Canada Child Benefit will do just that.

It later goes on to talk about creating and supporting “economic growth, job creation and economic prosperity” and “significant new investments”. It talks about “a more secure retirement” and the EI system. In the last paragraph of “Growth for the Middle Class”, this is the one that stands out for me:

The Government will undertake these and other initiatives while pursuing a fiscal plan that is responsible, transparent and suited to challenging economic times.

Canadians are asking this today: Is it responsible for the government to create a deficit of $30 billion when it promised a $10-billion deficit and for that deficit to continue up to 2050? Is it responsible for the Liberal government to leave our children and their children paying for the decisions it is making today? Is it responsible for the government that promised to invest $10 billion a year in new infrastructure spending, matching the $10 billion deficit it promised, to deliver only half of that, only half the economic activity that was promised with this increased deficit?

What the Prime Minister heard day in and day out when he was doing his tour across the country is that it is not. It is not responsible what the government is doing. It is not only hurting Canadians today, it is not only hurting jobs today, it is hurting Canadians of tomorrow, my children, my grandchildren, and the jobs that will not exist because of the increased spending the government is doing.

The second part of that was transparency. When we were first elected, we knew that there was a carbon tax that would be coming down. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change went to Paris with, I think, 300 people and communicated to the Canadian public and to Parliament that there would be a carbon tax brought forward. This House subsequently had a motion putting a $50 per ton carbon tax in place. The bill is yet to be received, but the motion has been adopted by this House.

As Conservatives, we call a tax a tax. Unfortunately, my friends across the way in the Liberal government cannot seem to figure that out, so they called it a “price on carbon”. Then they realized that, hold on, Canadians understand that a carbon tax and a price on carbon are the exact same thing. So they said they are going to call it a “revenue lever”, and they used that for two days, but all of the media held them to account on it and so did the Conservative members and New Democratic members across the way.

We came back after the break for Christmas and we resumed our parliamentary sitting, and it is no longer called a carbon tax, nor a price on carbon, nor a revenue lever. The government is now calling the carbon tax a “pan-Canadian strategy on a clean environment and carbon footprint”. This is because Canadians know that a carbon tax is bad for the economy. It is Orwellian. It is completely changing and whitewashing what the government is doing, and trying to change the channel. However, we know a tax is a tax is a tax. We know that this carbon tax exists. Therefore I question how this throne speech, which clearly says the Liberals are going to be transparent, lives up to the words that were spoken on December 4, 2015.

The third part of that was suited to the challenging economic times. I am not sure that the government members understand what is going on. Last year, we went month by month seeing changes in jobs, with months when more than 30,000 entrepreneurs closed their doors. At the end of the year, we had this as the picture from Stats Canada: more than 20,000 people in the natural resources sector were without jobs this year; more than 19,000 people in the agricultural industry were without jobs this year; more than 70,000 entrepreneurs closed their doors last year; more than 53,000 manufacturing jobs left our country last year.

These are the wealth creators. These are the sectors of our economy that help Canada be a prosperous and free country. At the same time, in Canada last year there were more than 71,000 new public-sector jobs, meaning fewer people paying tax into the system and more people taking taxes out of the system.

It is clear that the current government's policies last year were not suited to the economic times, and introducing a $50 fee per ton of carbon is not suited to these economic times. Who pays the most? It is those who can least afford it.

Many members in this House know that I grew up with very little, in government housing. Quite frankly, there were things that we did without, like a car, many times. However, I can say this. Those who are struggling to make ends meet, who have a job and who are working day in and day out just so they can provide for their families, will be hit hardest by this carbon tax. It will make it harder for them to get the gas to go to work and home. It will make it harder for them to put food on the table as inflation kicks in and the costs are increased. It is going to be more difficult for those who can afford it the least, for those who need the most help to survive.

Therefore what our Conservative Party is doing today is requesting the government to actually have a heart and understand that the taxes it is introducing, whether it is the payroll tax, the carbon tax, or any of the cancellations of tax credits, are affecting Canadians and affecting lower-income Canadians the most.

As members can tell, I love to speak and I could speak all night, but I know my time is coming to an end, so I will end with this. I would ask the government to change its policies, to get in line, and create prosperity in this great country.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, December 12th, 2016]

With regard to official diplomatic communications regarding the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the Minister of International Trade and her European counterparts: what are the details of all official diplomatic communications since November 4, 2015, including the (i) date, (ii) titles of individuals participating in the communication, (iii) location, (iv) type of communication (in person, phone call, etc.)?

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 12th, 2016]

With regard to the government’s plan to implement a carbon tax or carbon price: (a) for vendors that sell products subject to a carbon tax or price on carbon, will the vendors be required to include the carbon tax or price on carbon when calculating the amount of consumption taxes associated with the purchase, including (i) Goods and Services Tax (GST), (ii) Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) (broken down by province), (iii) Excise Tax, (iv) Transportation Taxes; and (b) what is the projected increase in government revenue for each of the next five fiscal years as a result of increased revenue from (i) GST, (ii) HST, (iii) Excise Tax?

[Ethics, December 6th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, so far the justice minister has told us that they see no need to investigate the leak.

We know that the RCMP has been asked to investigate. We know that the Ontario Securities Commission is investigating. We know that the document has been leaked.

When will the minister begin her own investigation?