James Moore

[Employment, April 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, here is some good news in response to our budget. John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc. said:

The easiest place in the world to do business is Canada. Their prime minister gets it.

We are creating jobs in this country. However, it is interesting. The NDP, on the one hand, condemns the temporary foreign worker program, but on the other hand, we have letters from eight NDP members of Parliament begging the government to bring more temporary foreign workers into their ridings and to bend the rules to make it happen. Either they are in favour of the temporary foreign worker program or they are against it, but they are talking out of both sides of their mouths.

Would the leader of the NDP finally bring some certainty to that position?

[Employment, April 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, of course we want to create jobs here in Canada. That is why, on May 2, 2011, Canadians elected a Conservative government whose priorities are jobs, job creation and the economy. Budget 2013 focuses on creating jobs for Canadians.

That is why Canada has the best job creation record among all G7 countries, and we are going to continue down that path.

[Taxation, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, our record on trade liberalization is clear. We believe in creating Canadian jobs through world sales. When it comes to taxes, the Liberal record is very clear. It is the party of higher taxes.

On this question of tariffs, the question for the new leader of the Liberal Party is this: why does he want to give a special deal to China? Why does he want to make sure Canadian companies cannot compete on a level playing field with other companies around the world? That is the question.

[Taxation, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we do have a consistent and clear agenda when it comes to trade. We are at the table negotiating TPP; we are at the Canada–Europe free trade agreement; we are the party of NAFTA and FTA in ensuring that—

[Taxation, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, not only will I not admit it, but I will also stress the fact that our government has cut taxes for Canadian taxpayers and businesses across Canada to create jobs in every region of our country.

That is why Canada has the best job growth record in the G7, and we are proud of that. We have cut the GST and taxes on consumers. Every time we implemented a budget to cut taxes, the Liberal Party and the NDP voted against it.

[Taxation, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, if we were raising the taxes, the Liberals would be all for it. It was the member for Papineau who first ran for election back in 2006, and he said he ran on that platform because he was inspired by the Liberals' green shift, which was a carbon tax.

We believe in lowering taxes for Canadian families. The average family of four today has $3,200 more in its pockets than before we came into office. Time and again we have lowered taxes for Canadians. Time and again, the Liberals have rejected it.

If the Liberals want to compare our record with theirs, we are more than happy to. We are the party of low taxes; it is the party of high taxes, every single time.

[Employment, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, that is ridiculous. Canada has the best job record in all of the G7. If they want to compare apples to apples, plan to plan, we put forward our economic action plan 2013, and Canada has the best job numbers in all of the G7. Over 900,000 net new jobs have been created since the worst part of the recession.

What was the NDP plan? It was tabled by the finance critic for the NDP. It contains no numbers, no proposals, expression of sentiment but no actual ideas to move this country forward. All we hear from the NDP, time and time again, rhetorically, is the need to raise taxes and spend more money.

We stand on the side of consumers and job creators to build a strong national economy.

[Employment, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, again, to the substance of the question, if the leader of the NDP actually wants to have a serious debate on this subject, it would be great if he would support budget 2013 where we actually will move forward with reforms that are necessary both to the temporary foreign worker program and also to do what job creators across the country are calling for, which is an approach by the Government of Canada, focused with those who are actually creating jobs, with the Canada job grant so we can partner with them to fill those spots that are not being filled right now by Canadians.

We want to ensure we have full-time, well-paying jobs for Canadians. We have the programs and proposals in budget 2013 to make it happen.

[Employment, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, what is very strange about these questions from the New Democrats is that they say on the one hand that they want his program to be shut down, but on the other hand, every day after question period, we have a steady parade of New Democrat members of Parliament over to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and over to the Minister of Human Resources asking for special treatment to bring temporary foreign workers into NDP constituencies.

We have letters from eight NDP members of Parliament who have asked for temporary foreign workers to be brought in to their constituencies. We have many more New Democrats who say one thing in the House, but when question period is over, they come over here and ask that we continue and enlarge the temporary foreign worker program for them. “Do as I say, not as I do” is the policy of the NDP.

[Employment, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, on May 2, 2011, Canadians gave us a mandate to govern this country and create jobs for Canadians. That is what we are doing. Canada is the top G7 country when it comes to employment.

The concerns about this program are serious. That is why budget 2013 contains reforms that will enable us to talk about these issues, develop policies, make investments and take the steps necessary to create jobs for Canadians.