James Moore

[Broadcasting Industry, March 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this was a CRTC decision, not a government one. Our government has always put the consumer first. That is why we asked the CRTC to consider what distribution fees would mean for Canadians. We are concerned that Canadians will have to pay higher taxes and useless fees.

About the CBC, here is what Hubert Lacroix said yesterday, “I have a good relationship and I really like the Minister of Canadian Heritage. I think he is on the ball with regard to these issues”. The CBC understands that we get results.

[2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, March 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, from the torch relay, which was the longest torch relay in Olympic history at over 46,000 kilometres and involved over 90% of Canadians from coast to coast to coast, to the great Canadian athletes, like Brian McKeever, Jen Heil, Alexandre Bilodeau and Joannie Rochette who are now known not only in Canada but internationally, to the cultural Olympiad which saw over 3,000 artists perform at over 300 venues all across the country, to the infrastructure legacies of the Canada Line and the Richmond Oval, to everything that was the Olympic Games, we are so proud of the success of this event.

This shows what a great country can do. When the federal government, provincial governments, four host first nations and everybody gets together and puts on a great event, Canada can shine on the world stage like never before.

[Official Languages, March 18th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, that is completely ridiculous. He mentioned the Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser. Commissioner Fraser said he was impressed by the level of bilingualism at the Olympic Games and quite pleased with the government's commitment.

The member for Ottawa—Vanier said that the contract was signed only in English. That is because the lawyer from Vanoc who signed the contract agreement with the federal government had a choice between signing it in English or French. Being a smart lawyer, which is to say not a Liberal, he did not sign a contract in a language he does not speak, so he signed the contract in English. In this contract, there are 15 clauses that make the requirements for official languages clear. We delivered on official languages.

[Official Languages, March 18th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party may be the only party that is very proud of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are also very proud of the Games when it comes to the official languages, and we are not alone. Pascal Couchepin said that the Vancouver Olympic Games set an example in terms of linguistic diversity and that it would be difficult to do any better.

That is absolutely right.

[Taxation, March 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois have proposed legislation that would impose a massive new tax on Canadians.

The last time an iPod tax was put forward it was up to $75 per iPod, a massive tax on consumers. What is worse is the way the legislation is written. This new tax would apply to iPods, MP3 players, PVRs, DVRs, iPhones, cellphones, BlackBerrys, anything with a hard drive.

The Liberals, the Bloc and the NDP think this is what consumers need, a massive new tax. This Conservative government will fight this new iPhone tax every step of the way.

[Telecommunications, March 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the member is simply jumping to conclusions. This government made unprecedented investments in culture in the latest budget.

With respect to broadcasting, Norm Bolen, the CEO of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association said, “We are very appreciative of the Conservative government's responsiveness to the challenges facing the broadcasting industry”. We keep our promises.

[Official Languages, March 4th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to say that we are extremely proud to have been a partner in the 2010 Olympic Games. They were an extraordinary success for Canada.

But I would like to talk about official languages at the Olympic Games. Jacques Rogge said he was pleased that the Olympic Games were entirely bilingual.

Pascal Couchepin, the Grand Témoin de la Francophonie, said that the Vancouver Games set an example in terms of linguistic diversity and that it would be difficult to do any better.

We kept our promises regarding the official languages during the Olympic Games, and we are very proud to have been a partner in those Games.

[Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, December 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition members show enthusiasm for this question. I will try to deliver.

The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the most bilingual games in the history of the Olympics. Yesterday, the official languages commissioner said, “I am pleased that the government and VANOC have taken the necessary measures to present a truly bilingual Olympic Games”. That includes government services, the opening ceremonies, the Cultural Olympiad and official sites, such as the Whistler Olympic Park and the Richmond Oval. All of the Olympic sites and every single one of the events will respect Canada's two official languages.

[Tax Harmonization, December 7th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, British Columbians have had their say when it comes to taxes and they voted for a government that believes in lowering taxes.

The NDP in the province of British Columbia stepped forward twice in a row and Carole James, the provincial NDP leader, was rejected twice in a row by the people of British Columbia.

British Columbians know that it is Conservatives who believe in lower taxes and it is members of the NDP who believe in higher taxes. That is the simple fact of the matter. We have lowered the GST and income taxes. We have lowered taxes across the board for Canadians.

British Columbians understand that if they want high taxes they will vote for the NDP. If they want low taxes, they will vote for the Conservatives.

[Tax Harmonization, December 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we do not run from our record on taxes. We are proud to stand up as the party that always lowers taxes.

This government ran on a very clear and precise platform that we would lower taxes for Canadians, and we have delivered every single time.

There was a time, when we dealt with sales taxes, that the Liberals said they were going to scrap, kill and abolish the GST. We said we would lower the GST, and we delivered.

We were elected because Canadians know that the opposition cannot be trusted on taxes. We were re-elected because we deliver low taxes for Canadians.