House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Quebec Referendum December 13th, 1995
First, Mr. Speaker, we had three discussions in caucus about this matter before I went public with it. Second, I do not know if the people will follow the leader of the third party. Last week he was asking us to give a veto to the province of British Columbia and-
Quebec Referendum December 13th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the people of Quebec have voted twice to stay in Canada. We should remember that. The leader of the Reform Party seems to be very disappointed that they have chosen Canada but that is not my case. When the Leader of the Opposition tried to teach us some lessons he should know the ridiculous move he made.
I guess the party was too long yesterday. The leader of the third party does not know that 52 members of Parliament is nothing compared to 177 on this side of the House.
Quebec Referendum December 13th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I do not have to read my notes. The leader of the third party should just read yesterday's Hansard .
Social Programs Financing December 13th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I said very clearly that we have withdrawn from job training. As for the bills, I have to say, and I already made it quite clear earlier, that the amount of transfers the federal government makes to the provincial governments receiving equalization payments has not decreased in the past three years. Some of the cash transfers for programs were cut, but equalization payments were increased. In the case of Quebec, the amount was over $11 billion when we formed the government. It remains unchanged today and, as far as I know, it will remain unchanged next year.
Social Programs Financing December 13th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the recipe is a very old one. Transfer payments used to be simply cash payments. We subsequently gave a number of tax points. It is very important we continue to make visible transfers like these so that the people in all the provinces will see that the federal government helps pay for the social programs the provincial governments manage.
Social Programs Financing December 13th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, when we formed this government two years and some months ago, the federal government's transfers for social programs and equalization payments totalled more than $11 billion. Today, it is even more and next year it will still be more than $11 billion.
There have been no cuts. Some payments may be down, but equalization payments for the poorest provinces in Canada inevitably increased during this period. In fact, there were no cuts in transfers to the Government of Quebec or to other provinces that
receive equalization payments according to the balancing system that exists in this country.
Social Programs Financing December 13th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, whether transfer payments are made in the form of tax points or cash, it boils down to the same thing.
As far as decentralization is concerned, we have made it clear that we will withdraw from manpower training. However, we want the money collected for that purpose to be used for our clients, in other words, for people who across Canada contributed their share, added to their employer's share, to give them some security if they lose their jobs. This money is to be used for workers who have lost their jobs.
As for decisions on the administration and nature of training programs, that is under provincial jurisdiction. The provinces can decide what kind of training they want to give, but we must be sure the money transferred is used to train people who are unemployed, because they paid their contribution to the federal government so they would receive this service if they lost their job.
Social Programs Financing December 13th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, before I answer the question put by the Leader of the Opposition, I would like to say that we are sorry to see him go. We enjoyed the past two years during which he was Leader of the Opposition. In politics, there is a certain amount of confrontation, but there are also moments that we appreciate.
I wish him good luck, and if, as he said in his speech in Laval, he intends to work hard to get the economy going and put public finances on a sound footing, we will be there, ready to co-operate. So I wish him good luck in that respect. If the other agenda predominates, there will again be confrontation. As for the question put by the Leader of the Opposition concerning tax points, it is a matter of one type of transfer rather than another. The amount is exactly the same.
However, for the purposes of public administration and to ensure that people know the money is transferred from the central government to the provincial governments, I think the Minister of Finance is right. People are aware of this in the case of a transfer payment, as opposed to tax points. In the case of tax points, people tend to forget. After a few years, they forget that no more funds are transferred, but that the federal government has withdrawn and lets the province collect taxes.
As a result, the central government's participation becomes invisible. I think the Minister of Finance wants all citizens in every province to know exactly what the federal government contributes towards the cost of administering social programs.
The Constitution December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I will reply, because they do that all the time. If you happen to be from Quebec and you believe that Quebec's future is within Canada, they brand you as a traitor, but the fact is that French was able to survive in North America because of Canada.
The Constitution December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I said that they should ask a clear and honest question. They will be the ones asking the question. All we want is a very clear question, and not one that tries to include all sorts of conditions to get people confused to the point where they do not know whether they are voting for or against separation. All we want is a clear question. If they want a suggestion, here is one: "Do you want to separate from Canada?" This is very clear and everyone will understand. There will be no problem. However, they know that they will lose if they ask a question like this one.