Carole Freeman

[The Budget, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my colleague for his question.

It is true that it is very important to stand up for low-income families. If there are so many low-income families in the riding of Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, perhaps the reason is the fiscal imbalance, which has been around forever. If moneys were truly transferred equitably, there would be a better quality of life.

[The Budget, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.

It is my pleasure to take part today in the debate on the budget currently before the House. Many things have been said since the Minister of Finance read his budget on May 2. There have been many comments by analysts, and reaction has been strong. It is, however, important to take a more detailed look at the full impact of this budget in order to discover its real meaning and scope for the public.

Basically, it must be admitted that this budget is a transitional budget, nothing more, nothing less. The result of the most recent general election reflects the public's desire not to give the Conservatives a blank cheque. Indeed, the government's minority position in the House indicates clearly that nearly two-thirds of the population did not support the right-leaning policies of the Conservative Party.

Fortunately, in Quebec, the people had an alternative to which they have turned in the last five elections to make their voices heard and to defend their interests. That is particularly the case in my riding, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, which I have the signal honour of representing in this House. For since the 1993 election and in every subsequent vote, the Bloc Québécois has proven to be the political vehicle of choice for a constant majority of the population of Châteauguay—Saint-Constant. This is a clear demonstration of the deep confidence that my fellow citizens have in the Bloc Québécois and in its leader to faithfully represent their interests in Ottawa.

The first budget of the Conservative minority government marks a transition between the extremely centralizing Liberal regime, sapped by scandal and corruption, and the pursuit of a neo-conservative ideology, developed and tested south of the border. I cannot insist too much on the transitional nature of this budget for, beyond the good news for middle-class taxpayers, we must keep a cool head and remember that the Conservatives have embarked upon a broad and far-reaching campaign to seduce the electorate, and are prepared to do anything to win a majority of seats in the House.

For us in the Bloc Québécois, it is precisely this that makes our attention and our vigilance more essential than ever. To the image-mongering and extravagantly populist discourse of the Conservative Party we will oppose rigorous analysis, a trademark of the Bloc Québécois. As our leader never tires of saying, we will examine each of the issues that comes before us on a case-by-case basis. There is no question of signing the government a blank cheque; rather we will support it where support is deserved. If a measure that is proposed is beneficial to Quebec, we will support it. And conversely, we will never hesitate to vote against the government if we perceive real detriment to the interests of Quebec.

Let there be no illusions. In no way has the Bloc Québécois changed its mission. With this change of government, we are still sovereignists and we believe more strongly than ever that the modern Quebec will find its true fulfilment with its full and complete sovereignty, as a nation in fact and in law.

To come back to the budget, for us, the key aspect of the Minister of Finance's exercise last week is recognition of the infamous fiscal imbalance. The Bloc Québécois was the first party to draw attention to this reality and to defend Quebec's interests by hounding the previous government to recognize the imbalance. In the process, we brought the other opposition parties onside, including the current government. This political process and this example of influence and persuasion demonstrate the Bloc's relevance and its key role in the development of Quebec.

Honestly and objectively, anyone who has made a careful study of the federal political scene in recent years will clearly see the Bloc's influence in a series of measures in the latest budget. This accomplishment is as significant as our long and painful battle for recognition of the fiscal imbalance. The proof lies in the major gains achieved for the population thanks to the Bloc's insistence and deep convictions. For years, my colleagues waged battles in this House for more funding for the social programs Quebeckers hold so dear.

Despite the federal government's brutal cuts to transfer payments, Quebec still managed to avoid the complete erosion of our social safety net. We should be proud of this, because it is a telling example of Quebeckers' solidarity and our tenacity in the face of the major challenges that have arisen in the past and are sure to arise in the future.

Among the files of the hour specifically affecting my riding of Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, undoubtedly the sensitive subject of social housing heads the list of our concerns.

The government can pat itself on the back for the injection of some $800 million for the funding of affordable housing. Nevertheless, as we all know, if it had not been for the Bloc Québécois, the Conservative Party would never have become aware of how uncertain access to housing is.

From 1993 to 2001, the Liberal government withdrew completely from the funding of new social housing. During all those years, the Bloc never gave up the struggle and called for investment to be restored to the ambitious but achievable objective of close to $2 billion a year.

In the riding of Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, no less than 22% of the population lives in rental housing. Also, we have at least some 4,500 single-parent families in the riding. That makes the matter of funding social housing all the more important, if we take into account the often difficult economic situation that some of these families have to cope with.

So, although the $800 million allocated to social housing is a big step, the Bloc Québécois will not give up and will continue to demand that the undistributed profits of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation be reinvested, instead of being capitalized as the previous government got in the habit of doing.

If the trend continues, the surpluses accumulated by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 2008 will reach some $7 billion. This is a huge sum, which is not justified in the current context.

Similarly, credit is due to the Bloc Québécois for its insistence and the rigour of its budget analyses, which resulted in the injection of billions of dollars in funding for post-secondary education. For years now, particularly during the recent election campaigns, that is, in 2000, 2004 and 2006, the Bloc Québécois asked the federal government to use its financial leeway to gradually increase transfers for college and university education.

This announcement is all the more important since about three-quarters of the population of Châteauguay—Saint-Constant have completed post-secondary studies. Since the past is often an indication of the future, it is a safe bet that our children will thus be able to afford to pursue quality studies.

It is therefore important to note another important gain made by the Bloc, concerning tax exemptions for scholarships and bursaries. We have to realize that the federal government has taxed the scholarships and bursaries received by students for a long time. As paradoxical and absurd as that may seem, for years the federal government has collected income tax on scholarships and bursaries paid to students by the Government of Quebec, a funding area from which it nonetheless withdrew, the better to pay off its recurring deficits.

Not only did the government in Ottawa build up a phenomenal fiscal capacity for itself today by ending the transfer payments that defined the federal scheme, but then it also turned its gaze on things that never belonged to it.

The major items highlighted earlier show the important progress made by the Bloc since the Conservatives came to power. While this is an impressive track record, we have to keep in mind that the race has not yet been won.

I have said it before and I say it again, this budget is a transitional budget, the stated aim of which is to get the Conservatives a majority in the next general election. Then, with a little more elbow room, the right will finally be able to implement its real ideas to the letter. That unknown future is precisely where my greatest fear lies.

At the top of my list of concerns is the complete absence of any measures to improve employment insurance. It must be noted that the employment insurance fund is overflowing with the billions of dollars in surpluses that were amassed during the years of Liberal rule. And yet as recently as the day before the budget speech the Prime Minister was supporting the Bloc’s position on paying out those surpluses for the benefit of the unemployed and the people who have paid into it.

I would also draw your attention to the fact that the Minister of Finance has failed to take into consideration the often hard economic reality of older people. He has had nothing to say about this issue, crucial as it is for thousands of our fellow citizens. Thousands of older people have been cheated over the years by the federal government, which is still refusing to make payments to the people in question fully and completely retroactive.

Nor has any provision been made to assist older workers, whose job prospects are rather dim.

The Conservatives have let older people down and they will be jeopardizing environmental protection for generations to come. At a time when political action is based on sustainable development, the Conservative government is trying to reshuffle the deck by introducing the profit variable.

Profits, of course, for the shareholders of the big oil companies that have seen record profits for years and whose influence, spreading out from Calgary, is grounds for concern.

Time flies. I could go on about the irritants in this budget, but I will yield the floor to other speakers.