Harold Albrecht

[Economic and Fiscal Statement, December 3rd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to congratulate my friend from Kitchener Centre. It is obvious, from the degree of professionalism with which he delivered his speech and the passion, that the Kitchener Centre residents made a very wise choice in sending him here.

Throughout the debate we have been talking about the economic features. My colleague mentioned the stimulus package that our government has put in place. I am receiving faxes, emails and phone calls from business leaders in my riding. I want to read one sentence, “Political instability is not what Canada needs during these troubled economic times. The impact on our country could be quite severe as foreign investment could quickly take flight from Canada, resulting in fewer jobs and a weaker economy”.

The residents and the business owners in my riding are very concerned about that.

I have a question for the hon. member for Kitchener Centre. Warren Jestin, the chief economist at Scotiabank, talking about the pre-emptive stimulus package that we put in place, said:

...the Canadian economy already has stimulus built into the books. The GST cut and reductions to corporate and business taxes taken last fall...will...have a greater effect on the economy than a short-term stimulus.

Unlike the U.S., which has tried ad hoc--

[Petitions, December 3rd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Kitchener—Conestoga and the greater Kitchener-Waterloo area. The petitioners are asking the government to introduce a new volunteer service medal to be known as the Governor General's volunteer medal to acknowledge and recognize volunteerism by Canadian troops.

Their petition is as follows: “To the Government of Canada, whereas during a specified period of service to their country, Canadians from September 3, 1939 to March 1, 1947 received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, and during a specified period of service to their country, Canadians from June 27, 1950 to July 27, 1954 received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea, we, the undersigned residents of Canada, respectfully call upon the Government of Canada, to recognize by means of the issuance of a new Canadian Volunteer Service Medal to be designated “The Governor General's Volunteer Service Medal” for volunteer service by Canadians in the Regular and Reserve Military Forces and Cadet Corps Support Staff who are not eligible for the aforementioned medals and who have completed 365 days of uninterrupted honourable duty in the service of their country Canada, since March 2, 1947”.

It is an honour to present this on behalf of the residents of the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

[Government of Canada, December 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Parti Québécois has said today, and I quote, “We can clearly see that this country does not work...The only solution is to get out of it, it is to choose our sovereignty”.

Is this not exactly what the leaders of the NDP, the Bloc and the Liberals are working on right now? Are they not working on breaking up this country just to get to power? Does this government have concerns about national unity in light of the recent announcements by the three parties opposite?

[Opposition Coalition Proposal, December 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all Conservatives who voted, yes, voted, to unite the right, I have the dubious honour of addressing a backroom deal, the one that brought socialists and separatist together.

The new Conservative Party unites the best of the two old parties, the nation building traditions of Macdonald and Cartier and Preston Manning's vision of grassroots democracy.

On the other hand, the secret society of socialists and separatists makes common cause between those who would tear up the country and others whose goal is to use a balance of power status to impose their will.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that in spite of all the fine sounding words, this backroom deal has nothing to do with their dissatisfaction with our economic fiscal update, but was planned many weeks ago. The separatists and the NDP never had any intention of making this Parliament work.

[Political Party Funding, November 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, last year our Conservative government introduced a major pre-emptive fiscal stimulus with significant tax cuts, such as lowering the GST, along with reducing personal and business taxes. These tax cuts, along with previous tax reductions we have made, mean that Canadians will pay $31 billion less in taxes, or almost 2% of GDP.

These forward looking tax cuts are allowing Canadian families in the current period of global economic crisis to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. These are tax cuts the opposition voted against. The opposition is taking pride in showing it does not care about the needs and struggles of Canadian families and, again, it is showing that today.

While Canadians are facing difficult decisions and are being forced to tighten their belts, the opposition members care about only one thing: protecting their entitlements. Liberal, Bloc and NDP MPs are arrogantly demanding that families and seniors struggling on fixed incomes keep on bankrolling bloated perks for political parties.

It is time the opposition showed some respect for the needs of Canadian families.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, November 21st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on her election and her speech. She made a comment that throne speeches are known not only for what is in them but what is excluded from them. She mentioned that international assistance was missing.

I would like to point out it is clearly included in the throne speech and also in the previous budgets. Canada has reiterated its commitment to double our international assistance to $5 billion by 2010-11. Also, the development work that is going on in Afghanistan is a clear commitment to international assistance.

The final point I would like to make is that this government is committed to untie the foreign aid for the years after 2012-13. I would like to know why the member indicated that there is nothing in the throne speech that--

[Road Safety, November 21st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my sympathies to all Canadians who have lost loved ones in road collisions. Earlier this week, Canada celebrated the first National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims. We reflect on the lives lost and renew our resolve to improve the safety of Canadian roads.

On average, eight Canadians are killed in road collisions every day. Many more are impacted. Family members, friends and other loved ones are left grieving.

We all have a part to play in keeping our roads safe. That is why our government took action and toughened the laws meant to deter impaired driving, while giving police better tools to keep offenders in jail. This is just a start.

Most of the deaths caused by road collisions are preventable and avoidable. Whether it is observing speed limits, wearing a seat belt or abstaining from driving while impaired or fatigued, let us work together to prevent these tragedies. Let that be the legacy of the victims we remember today.

[Aboriginal Affairs, June 18th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear how a Liberal government would treat aboriginal people and Canadians living in the north. Their bright idea is to increase the high costs northerners are already paying by saddling them with a regressive carbon tax that would affect the price of everything. This is not what northerners and aboriginal people want. They want clear and concrete action with real results and not more Liberal press releases and empty words.

Could the Minister of Indian Affairs update this House with what this government is doing to address the real needs of aboriginals in Canada?

[The Environment, June 17th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the government is taking real action on climate change. Through our ecoAction program we have helped build green technology right here at home in Canada through projects that will provide real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.

Sadly, the Liberal candidate in the Guelph byelection, Frank Valeriote, does not agree. He says the government should not help industries invest in new technology.

While the Liberals may not agree that we need to invest in green technology, can the Minister of the Environment tell the House how the government has delivered for Canadians regarding the fight on climate change?

[Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement Act, June 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, in fairness, when we look at the rebates that are given to municipalities, whether it is the GST rebate or any of those types of tax sharing arrangements between the federal government and other levels of government, it is reasonable that this agreement also recognize those same privileges for the members of the Tsawwassen Band.