Mr. Speaker, I said in this House that if the industry upholds its commitments, it can sleep soundly.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Drug Patents May 9th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I said in this House that if the industry upholds its commitments, it can sleep soundly.
Drug Patents May 9th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I said clearly that we intend to abide by the legislation which was passed, but we must do our job, and make sure that the companies that promised to invest are doing so and, secondly, that they are honouring their commitment not to increase drug prices. It is also our duty to check that they are discharging the obligations they have towards the government.
I must say that I am very happy to see that the member is concerned about the stability of industries in Quebec because we too want stability in this country. If he wants to be of assistance,
he should stop talking about separating, that would help Canadian legislation stay stable.
Unemployment May 9th, 1994
This policy of helping some of the defence industry to work in new fields has been a policy of this government. We are looking at all the proposals. When there is a good one, we are happy to help.
I would point out to the Leader of the Opposition that a lot of housing units were created last month and that the confidence of the people of Canada has increased by 13 per cent. It is a sign that we are on the right track. This development is not as fast as everyone in this House would like to see, but everybody recognizes that for 1994 Canada will outperform virtually every nation of the western world.
Unemployment May 9th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, 115,000 new jobs have been created in Canada since February. That is a fact. I have just explained to the Leader of the Opposition that some people who had likely given up looking for work quite some time ago had re-entered the job market. This is a positive sign that the job situation is rebounding. This morning's Toronto Star reported that the number of people on welfare in Toronto had declined considerably, while a significant number of persons had found jobs.
This is an indication that our strategy, which is to focus on jobs, is working. There are those in Canada who believe that the economy is recovering. Economic indicators nationwide show that the growth rate will be greater than that forecast by the Minister of Finance. We must therefore stay the course set out in the budget.
Unemployment May 9th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, since our government was elected, unemployment has not decreased as much as we would have liked. Just last month the situation had markedly improved, statistically speaking, but it has now changed. According to the reports, 60,000 people who had all but given up looking for work re-entered the job market.
These were not people who had lost their jobs, but rather people who started looking again, believing they could find employment. It is a positive sign when people regain some confidence and get back into the labour force. We will continue to do our best. Our policies reflect this government's priority, which is job creation.
Canada Health Act May 3rd, 1994
Mr. Speaker, there will be a meeting in June of all representatives of the provincial governments, the federal government and other people involved in health care services in Canada. This meeting will be presided over by the Prime Minister.
Canada Health Act May 3rd, 1994
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Taxation May 3rd, 1994
It is still the same.
We would like to be able to reduce taxes at this moment but it would increase the deficit. If the hon. leader of the Reform Party is telling us to increase the deficit, fine, we will consider that.
Taxation May 3rd, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we have an economic policy that was enunciated in the budget and we said that the priority of this government was to create jobs.
Lobbying May 2nd, 1994
Mr. Speaker, as far as I know, our mandate is for five years. We have fulfilled many commitments made in the red book. I hope the hon. member will take a look at page 111; he will be surprised. Indeed, we have fulfilled our promises regarding the helicopter contract, the infrastructure program, job creation for young
people, as well as other initiatives. We are not done yet with that particular commitment. Obviously, we cannot do everything within a four month session. However, things are going very well. That problem will be solved to everyone's satisfaction-I hope-before Parliament recesses for the summer, in exactly seven weeks.