House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 67% of the vote.
Airports November 4th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, let the record show that I asked the minister if any planes were not inspected. He did not answer the question.
Last month Dennis Coffey, a senior customs officer blew the whistle on lax inspection practices at Pearson airport. Instead of acting on these allegations, the minister's department intimidated Mr. Coffey.
While his bureaucrats were bullying Mr. Coffey, how many plane loads of cocaine were allowed to land and go uninspected at Pearson airport?
Airports November 4th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP has revealed that more than a dozen ground handlers at Pearson airport are in the pay of Colombian drug lords to unload smuggled cocaine.
When we asked the revenue minister last month if drug inspection officers were being pulled away from planes to fast track certain shipments, he did not answer and he did not act.
Can the minister assure us today that not a single plane containing smuggled drugs has gone uninspected at Pearson airport?
Government Spending November 3rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, in the same poll a whole 7% of Albertans said they want new spending from this government which is planning to spend half of the future surplus on new spending. In fact more than half of those surveyed said they are worried that this government is going to get us back into a deficit situation again through new spending. This government promised in the throne speech 29 new spending programs and not a single tax cut.
Will the Minister of Finance admit that he has misread public opinion? Will he agree to give Canadians the tax relief they are demanding today?
Government Spending November 3rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, in a poll released this weekend a majority of Canadians said no to new spending after the budget is balanced, but nearly half said their top priority is to pay down the debt, while a third said it was tax relief.
My question is for the Minister of Finance. Does he agree with Canadians that any future surplus should be directed to debt reduction and tax relief and not to new spending?
Environment October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the last time I checked, the government was supposed to be responsible and we are not getting any answers. The people who watch this are not stupid. They know a partisan evasion like that when they see one.
It was the finance minister who wrote the Liberals' 1993 red book which promised carbon cuts even bigger than those being proposed at Kyoto, but he has not said a word publicly about the Kyoto deal yet.
My question for the government is, what has the finance minister said privately about the Kyoto tax attack? On which side of the cabinet squabble does he stand?
Environment October 31st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister has been here for a few decades so he should know by now that the opposition asks the questions and the government is supposed to answer them.
When the finance minister was in opposition, he boasted that the Liberals would cut carbon emissions to 1988 levels by the year 2000. But now the man who was then a radical environment critic is silent about the Kyoto deal. So my question for the government is this. With all the talk of taxes in the air, why has the finance minister been silent about the Kyoto tax attack?
The Environment October 24th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the question is why has the government not ruled out a tax grab. That is the question. The average family already pays more in taxes than it does on food, shelter and clothing combined.
This government has taken $8 billion more out of their pockets. Canadian families are working harder but coming home with less because of the tax burden.
Why has the Liberal government committed to support the Kyoto tax attack which could suck thousands of dollars out of the pockets of every Canadian family?
The Environment October 24th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are looking for assurances that they are not going to be stuck with a multi-billion dollar tax grab and all we get are evasions from this government.
The Kyoto deal could double home heating costs and raise gasoline costs to almost a litre. I want the minister to commit right now to no more taxes on energy, not a cent more on gas, not a cent more on the wellhead, not a cent more on heating fuel.
Will he or she give us their word today?
The Environment October 24th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice told the House the Liberals would not bring in a carbon tax, but she specifically failed to rule out other taxes on the energy industry, taxes that would devastate Canada's resource industries and the thousands of families that relied on it for their livelihood.
As the minister for Alberta, it is up to her to clear the air, which she can do right now by telling the House the following words: “Never again will the Liberal government cripple our economy with a massive energy tax grab”. Will the Minister of Justice tell us that today?
Division No. 11 October 20th, 1997
It is not democracy.