Denis Coderre

[Budget Implementation Act, 1998, March 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, one thing is sure. This is the start. I was in France at the beginning of March. What were they talking about there? The Canadian miracle. French senators and members of the Assemblée nationale asked us “But how did you achieve this?” People complimented us. They said “What a brilliant way to manage the budget”.

If the Quebec government, the Bloc's head office, listened a little better and was on the same wavelength as the public—but things will soon improve, because Quebec will have a Liberal government after the upcoming provincial election—we would definitely not have any problems in the health and education sectors.

Unlike sovereignists, who hold referendums, who continually talk about the Constitution, and who say it is the federal government's fault, we have taken our responsibilities and we have the figures to prove it.

The issue of fairness was raised, but it is a start. Nothing is perfect in this world. We had to pay $42 billion and find fair and—

[Budget Implementation Act, 1998, March 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, sometimes the truth hurts. The member for Chambly said I had no manners whatsoever, so I say to him that I will save that. I will not forget it.

What really upsets me is that each time the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot rises to speak, he speaks about members' lack of integrity. He spoke of almost falsifying and almost lying. Not only is he uttering nonsense, but he said that ethics counsellor Howard Wilson was being paid by the Prime Minister's office to save the Minister of Finance's neck.

This is a mistake, because he should know he reports to the deputy minister for industry. Those who have nothing to say keep attacking members' integrity. He is undermining not only his own cause, but this institution as well. When it suits the members of the Bloc Quebecois, they pull out their hair and question this institution's integrity. When it does not, they get upset and raise points of order.

I am going to speak about the budget, unlike the members opposite. There are some important things in the budget. It is an excellent budget, as the member for Frontenac—Mégantic has said. It is true. Why? Because it is historic. We paid off the $42 billion in deficit that was there when we formed the government in 1993. Canadians have made sacrifices. The result is a zero deficit budget.

[Budget Implementation Act, 1998, March 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Scarborough Centre.

I rise in this House today for two reasons. First, because it is important that I do so as a government member to show that, however imperfect it may be, this remains a historic budget, which will have an extraordinary impact on the future.

I had just come out of a meeting of the agriculture committee and was sitting at my desk when I heard someone viciously attacking the integrity of the members of this House. This person was literally shouting. I thought to myself “My goodness, it's Howard Stern”. No, it was the Bloc member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.

I think a twelfth Oscar should be awarded to Titanic , the movie, because looking at the line the Bloc is taking on the budget, one can almost see the last scene of the movie, where the ship is slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea. They cannot think of anything to say.

I will be calling the airlines to ask who supplies them with the little bags, because the symptoms of parliamentary sickness are similar to those of air sickness.

I can hear Bloc members continually spilling their venom and making all sorts of disparaging remarks about the government, especially by attacking the integrity of one of its most eminent members: the Minister of Finance. It would certainly be a good idea to attach one of these bags to each seat as a precaution, to be on the safe side. They may come handy every time Bloc members stand up to speak.

One thing is for sure, every time I hear—

[Income Tax Amendments Act, 1997, March 23rd, 1998]

Madam Speaker, I find it objectionable that members of the Bloc Quebecois are attempting to attack the integrity of one of the greatest parliamentarians we know, as well as his family. When a party like the Bloc Quebecois erases tapes in order to conceal information concerning Quebec's Ministry of Revenue, its members should not—

[Income Tax Amendments Act, 1997, March 23rd, 1998]

Madam Speaker, I am quite prepared to let the member say anything, but nobody is being accused of anything. I would appreciate it if we went back to the bill, because the comments we are hearing now are a shame.

[Leader Of Reform Party, March 19th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about Reform, but they will understand only half my statement because I will use both languages.

Over the last two days, the leader of the Reform Party has shown his true colours by refusing to repeat outside the House the serious accusation he has made here.

He is accusing a senator of buying a seat in the Senate, and the Prime Minister of receiving financial gains in exchange for this appointment. But he would not say a word about this outside the House.

Shame on the Leader of the Reform Party.

Yesterday, we saw the true face of the Leader of the Opposition. He stood in this place and accused the Prime Minister of allowing a senator to buy his seat. This is a very serious accusation against the Prime Minister, an accusation that the Leader of the Opposition does not have the courage to make outside of the House.

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

Instead of listening to the member for Quebec who is whining as usual, I want to know what the member for Rosemont think about accessibility.

Is he one of those who think that scholarships are strictly under provincial jurisdiction, when we know that it has been a shared cost program since 1964 and that, if the federal government had not gotten involved, there would have never been a scholarship program?

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

The first problem is young people's debt.

We have assumed our responsibility to ensure young people's access.

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

Can you hear them. They are raising a ruckus opposite, because the truth is upsetting, the truth hurts.

I would like to know what the member for Rosemont thinks of the fact some that students said, on the very day of the budget, “We want to look at the program and to have access to these grants”. Why does the member for Rosemont, who was speaking on behalf of young people on the weekend and whose work in other areas I respect, not join with the government on the issue of the millenium scholarship fund, so that, together, those of our generation can give young people access?

[Supply, March 12th, 1998]

We are talking about accessibility.

Not only that, work—