House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 43% of the vote.
Trade January 30th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, we do expect the Americans to live up to their international trading obligations. They have legal obligations under NAFTA. They have legal obligations under the WTO.
This is not the time for heightened rhetoric. This is the time for calm, reasonable discussions with our American counterparts. This is the time to seek an end to this type of protectionist talk. This is the time to move forward in a reasonable, practical way.
The Budget January 30th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the member for Random—Burin—St. George's would certainly know that the budget is good for Newfoundlanders and good for Atlantic Canadians.
The principle of having equalization increase along with the economy guarantees and ensures that equalization will be there for this generation and future generations of Canadians.
The budget and the tax breaks that go along with it, the investments in infrastructure, the investments in forestry, the investments in science and technology and the investments in tourism, are good for all Canadians and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
The Budget January 30th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in debate today. I would like to take a moment to recognize the hon. member for Brant. I believe this was his maiden speech in the House, and certainly, we can see why he was elected by the good people of Brant. I congratulate him.
I would like to spend some of my time today in drawing attention to the aspects of the economic action plan that will directly benefit the residents of South Shore—St. Margaret's, my riding in Nova Scotia.
The plan will have a significant impact on the province of Nova Scotia. We will see an increase in federal transfers. We will see improvements to our infrastructure. We will see tax relief. We will see a strengthened province of Nova Scotia emerge from these turbulent economic times.
Nova Scotia will receive support through major federal transfers in 2009-10. This long-term growing support helps ensure that the province has the resources required to provide essential public services and contributes to shared national objectives, including health care, post-secondary education and other key components of Canada's social safety net.
Total federal support for Nova Scotia since our government came to power has increased 14% and will continue to grow. Total federal support reached $2.7 billion in 2008-09, a $363 million increase from 2005-06. Nova Scotia this year will receive $1.5 billion in equalization and the accord offsets this year, a 14% increase from when the Liberals were in government. By having equalization grow in line with the economy, we ensure the program remains sustainable and affordable, something I think all Canadians would support.
Nova Scotia will also benefit from an initial Crown share settlement payment of $234 million this year. Our government has guaranteed that Nova Scotia is the chief beneficiary of its offshore resources. The Crown's share settlement payment along with those offshore resources signifies Nova Scotia's share of those resources, something which the previous government refused to share with the province of Nova Scotia.
$334 million in gas tax rebate funding for 2007-14 has begun flowing and will flow to Nova Scotia municipalities through the extension of the gas tax agreement from 2010-14. That is $334 million over a seven year period going directly into Nova Scotia municipalities. Even as Nova Scotia sees above average natural resource revenues, we will protect its equalization and accord offsets from declining under the current formula, with fiscal capacity measured exactly as in 2005.
Aggregate entitlements continue to grow by 3.5%. We are protecting transfer support to Nova Scotia. Federal financing to the province of Nova Scotia will be assured, dependable and predictable. Health transfers will continue to grow by 6%. Social transfers will continue to grow by 3%.
Nova Scotia will also benefit from continued, targeted support in 2009-10, including $46 million as its share of the following: the $1.5 billion clean air and climate change trust, the $1 billion community development trust, the $612 million patient wait times guarantee trust, the $500 million public transit capital trust, the $400 million police officers retirement fund and the $300 million HPV immunization trust.
All of those funds and trusts continue to give dollars to Nova Scotia and continue to help the citizens of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia will receive $14 million for labour market training as part of a commitment of $500 million a year and new funding to provinces and territories beginning in 2008-09. Nova Scotia will benefit from the increased funding for infrastructure. We will be accelerating and expanding recent historic investments in infrastructure with almost $12 billion in new infrastructure spending over five years.
That type of investment by the Government of Canada will provide Nova Scotia with its share of the $4.5 billion over two years for infrastructure projects such as bridge rehabilitation on the national highway system. It will accelerate payments up to $75 million over two years for infrastructure projects in Nova Scotia alone and provide $3.9 million in one instance alone for harbour development at the lower east Pubnico wharf.
I, along with the member for West Nova, worked on this project. Although it is outside of my riding in Nova Scotia, this is a great project and the type of project that will ensure that the fishery will continue to prosper and gain momentum in Nova Scotia and not become some relic of the past. By investing in our coastal communities and the wharf, we can ensure that the fishery that starts at the wharf has a wharf to return to, the processing industry remains strong and that it continues to be a viable part of Nova Scotia's economy.
There is action in the budget to support businesses and communities, addressing short term economic challenges facing sectors, such as forestry, regions and communities as a result of the global economic crisis. Let us be clear. There is a global economic crisis. We need to be very much aware and very careful where the future takes us.
Support for the forestry sector alone is $170 million nationally over two years. The budget invests $500 million nationally in the agriculture industry. I listened to the former member say that there was nothing in the budget for agriculture. Half a billion dollars on top of the money we have already invested in agriculture is a significant investment. There is support for shipyards, with $175 million invested nationally.
This budget will invest $246 million nationally in cultural and arts programming and the tourism industry.
All of us in this place have a political bias. All of us tend to want to support, first, our constituencies; second, our provinces; and third, our national party. We look at the local picture, the micro-picture and the macro-picture of what is going on in the nation.
I seldom quote other writers in my speeches in the House but this time most of the budget and what it means to the ordinary man and woman on the street trying to work for a living, trying to make ends meet and trying to raise their families in Canada has been neatly written up by Ray Turchansky in the Edmonton Journal. He says, “The basic amount”, in addition to government stimulus, “the budget hoped to give people the impetus to save and then to spend”.
I think those are very correct and wise words. The basic personal amount, on which we pay no federal tax, already slated to go up from $9,600 to $10,100 due to indexing, now goes to $10,320, after which we pay 15% tax.
The 22% tax bracket started at $37,885 in 2008. It was indexed to $38,832 and now opens at $40,727. The 26% bracket that began at $75,769 last year was already bumped up to $77,664 and now starts at $81,452 this year. These are major tax reductions for Canadians who are finding it more difficult to make ends meet. This, along with the 15% tax credit for people 65 and over, applied to an age amount of $5,276 last year, indexed to $5,408 and now stands at $6,408. These have been a major improvements to the taxation system.
There have been changes and gains to RRSPs and RRIFs. First-time home buyers acquiring or qualifying for a home can get a 15% tax credit on $5,000.
This is a good budget. It is good for Canadians and certainly good for people in my riding of South Shore—St. Margaret's. I urge all opposition members to lay partisan politics aside and support the budget.
Political Party Funding November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, while the Conservative government has been continually working to protect the Canadian economy from the current global economic storm, the opposition cartel of the separatist Bloc, the socialist NDP, and the tax and spend Liberals are plotting behind closed doors to protect their political perks.
The opposition cartel is showing its true greed and ignorance to the plight of families by putting the self-interests of their political parties first, threatening another election to protect a scheme to funnel public funds to themselves.
Canadians should be, and are, outraged. This jaw-dropping display of greed when we least need it is shameful. I urge Canadians to write, call or fax all Liberal, NDP and Bloc MPs to express their outrage, today.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member continues to ignore the facts and mislead Canadians on this important file. The reality is that the Government of Colombia has taken positive steps to promote security and peace within a framework of human rights protection and the rule of law. Yes, we were in Bogota, and yes, I walked the streets of Bogota by myself, and yes, I felt safe.
Our Conservative government firmly believes that the economic opportunities brought about through free trade can strengthen democracy in Colombia. We also believe that increased business and a spirit of responsibility can go hand in hand.
Let me be perfectly clear: Canada’s efforts in Colombia aim to not only promote prosperity, but also to strengthen peace-building efforts and respect for human rights.
I welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Speaker. I also welcome my colleague from Burnaby—New Westminster back to the House of Commons.
The hon. member talks about Colombia's past and in doing that he studiously ignores the present, the future, and typical of that member, he studiously ignores the facts.
The Conservative government views the pursuit of liberalized trade, and the promotion and protection of human and labour rights as mutually enforcing. In fact, this balanced, responsible approach is guiding the Conservative government's re-engagement with the Americas.
When negotiating free trade agreements, our government's approach ensures that these agreements include robust provisions on environmental and labour cooperation. They commit partners to working together to ensure high levels of protection for workers and the environment. This proves that trade and investment liberalization can go hand-in-hand with labour rights and environmental protection.
Last week the Minister of International Trade signed a comprehensive free trade agreement with Colombia. This agreement and the parallel agreements on labour cooperation and environment signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs will bring real economic benefits to Canada and Colombia. At the same time, these agreements bind both Canada and Colombia to meaningful, enforceable standards on human rights and the environment.
On labour, both countries have committed to ensure that their laws respect the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of 1998, which covers the right to freedom of association and to collective bargaining, the abolition of child labour, the elimination of compulsory labour, and the elimination of discrimination.
I am sure the hon. member would like to ignore that part of the agreement, but it is there in black and white.
The agreements also commit to providing protections for occupational safety and health, acceptable minimum employment standards such as minimum wages and overtime pay, and to providing migrant workers with the same legal protections as nationals in regard to working conditions.
The labour cooperation agreement includes binding obligations and provisions that enable members of the public to submit complaints, known as public communications, to the parties concerning perceived failures to meet the obligations under the agreement. We believe as well that trade liberalization and environmental protection can, and must be, mutually supportive.
On the environment, both countries commit to high levels of environmental protection, enforcing their domestic laws and policies, and not derogate from these laws in order to increase trade or investment. The agreement further encourages the use of voluntary practices of corporate social responsibility and honours international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
A key priority of our government's engagement in Colombia is the promotion and protection of the environment and human rights.
Colombia, as a nation, has come a long way.
This member along with myself and other members of the committee were in Colombia only a few short years ago and it was not safe to travel in Colombia at that time. I have friends from Colombia who left that country because of lawlessness and because they were worried about their own personal safety.
Colombia has come light years. It is a changed country. We can encourage that. We can welcome Colombia into the league of nations or we can turn our back on it. We have done the right thing in signing a progressive trade agreement with Colombia.
International Trade November 21st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, again, expanding our trade opportunities in the Americas is a priority of the government. Free trade is good for Canada, it is good for our free trade partners and it is good for the economies and the citizens of all the countries involved in the free trade agreements.
International Trade November 21st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, Canada is committed to re-engagement with the Americas and part of that is free trade. The hon. member is well aware that our free trade agreements are complemented with provisions on labour and environmental co-operation.
We need to be perfectly clear that our free trade agreements promote and reinforce the protection of human rights.
NAFTA June 20th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that NAFTA has been a great benefit to all three NAFTA partners, to Canada, to the United States and to Mexico. It has led to a better environment and a better economy in all three countries and it will continue to bring benefits to all three countries into the future.
Standing Committee on International Trade June 20th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, my Conservative Party colleagues on the Standing Committee on International Trade respectfully dissent from the report, “Human Rights, the Environment and Free Trade with Colombia”.
It is clear that this report does not accurately reflect the views of all the members of this committee, nor does it reflect the testimony of the majority of the witnesses who appeared before the committee.
It is our opinion that a Canada-Colombia free trade agreement would expand Canada-Colombia trade and investment and would help ongoing efforts by the Government of Colombia to create a prosperous, equitable and secure democracy.
Our government's commitment to deepening its engagement in the Americas seeks to promote increased prosperity, greater security, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Furthermore, the Conservative members of the committee believe these objectives are interrelated and mutually reinforcing. That is why we cannot align ourselves with the recommendations expressed in this report.
We believe that this report lacks balance as the opposition members played partisan politics to--