House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 29% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, let us be clear. It took $2 billion plus the $1.8 billion from the employment insurance operating account to balance the budget this year. That is the only reason the government went in that direction.
In 2014-15, the hon. member will remember that small businesses were given an employment insurance premium holiday, which cost the government approximately $550 million.
I would like to know how many jobs were created as a result of that EI holiday.
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, he talks about just one risk, but at the end of the day, for at least the past 15 years, the federal government has had a $3 billion contingency fund for emergencies. The price of oil is just one risk. There are many risks, and the government had a contingency fund.
Why reduce the contingency fund from $3 billion to just $1 billion for the coming years?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I did not get an answer, but I will move on because it seems that tonight it is very hard to get answers from the minister.
I want to ask the Minister of Finance whether he believes that Canada's fiscal risks have diminished by two-thirds since last year.
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, once again I am asking a simple question. I would like to know when government decided to financially help General Motors back in 2009 and got 73 million shares in exchange. I would like to know what the investment was in GM to ensure that the 73 million would go to the government?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, it is not that difficult to answer questions.
Once again in reference to the GM shares, could the minister tell us what financial assistance the Government of Canada provided to GM in exchange for the 73.4 million shares it subsequently held?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, the finance minister used to be an investment banker. I am asking a simple question. The government sold 73.4 million shares in GM following its investment. I would like to know how much the government received for the sale of those 73.4 million shares.
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, according to my calculations, the $1.8 billion taken from the employment insurance operating account is more than the $1.4 billion surplus. It is obvious that the Conservatives are using the employment insurance fund surplus to fund their balanced budget.
I would like to go back to the issue of the GM shares that were sold by the Conservative government.
Can the minister tell us how much the Government of Canada received from the sale of the 73.4 million GM shares that it owned?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, finally, an answer.
Thus, there is a $1.8 billion surplus in the employment insurance fund and a $1.4 billion budget surplus. On December 6, 2013, Jim Flaherty, who was finance minister at the time, said:
We do not take EI funds and use them to balance the budget. That's what the Liberals did.
Why did the Minister of Finance renege on this promise?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, that is not an answer. I asked what the projected surplus is. We are asking for a number, and that number is $1.8 billion, according to the budget presented by the federal government.
Now my next question for the Minister of Finance might be a little easier.
Can he tell us what the government's projected budget surplus will be for 2015-16?
Business of Supply May 25th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I asked a simple question. I want to know what the projected surplus is for the employment insurance operating account for 2015-16.