Jeff Watson

[Afghanistan, September 27th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, with a finger in the wind and his head in the sand, the member for Markham—Unionville announced that his Liberals want to one-up the NDP call to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan by pulling out reconstruction teams too. In a rush to see who cuts and runs faster, he is hoping Canadians forget he was in cabinet sending our troops to Kandahar and as defence minister oversaw our mission.

Worse, the former prime minister was in cabinet when his Liberals sent our troops to Afghanistan. As prime minister he sent them to Kandahar, but recently Mr. Dithers went to New York to hobnob, too busy to show up for a vote on extending the mission and too busy to show up for President Karzai's speech, but not too busy to criticize from the shadows the mission he started.

A Liberal pullout is not a big surprise. After all, they pulled out half their caucus before President Karzai's speech last week. The Liberals cut on Afghanistan before its president could ask for more of our support.

Liberals can run, but this government will stay firm in our commitment to the people of Afghanistan.

[Liberal Party of Canada, September 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Which party has no ethics at all?

Mirror, mirror thought, then declared,
“The last Liberal government from which we've been spared”.

“But don't take my word”, Mirror, mirror did speak,
“I'm only agreeing with what a Liberal report said last week”.

Liberals admitted they set the ethics bar low,
Then rushed to see just how low Liberals could go.

Liberals let Dingwall have an illegal lobbying commission,
Then Liberals offered him handsome severance in addition;

Grants for a wharf to a Liberal's brother-in-law;
Frulla's home makeover without a Liberal pshaw.

Liberal appointees attending a Liberal convention;
Ethics lapses never Liberal bones of contention.

Millions granted by Liberals to family ships,
Only proves how far Liberal ethics have slipped.

Liberal fur coats bought on the taxpayer dime;
Ad scam Liberals should be charged and convicted of crimes.

Admitting they're ethically bankrupt is weak;
To their Liberal senators instead they must speak.

Stop dragging their unelected Liberal Senate feet.
Pass the accountability act now so there's no Liberal ethical repeat.

[Liberal Party of Canada, June 21st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is June. School is out and it is report card time. It is only fitting then to deliver a report card on the Liberal's first semester in opposition.

In math, the Liberals get an F for failing to understand that slashing the GST plus tax credits equals $20 billion more in the pockets of Canadians.

In geography, the Liberals get an F for forgetting where Afghanistan and our courageous troops are.

In history, the Liberals get an F for repeatedly forgetting their 13 year record of waste, mismanagement and corruption.

In science, the Liberals get an F for greenhouse gas emissions that are 35% above 1990 levels, not 6% below as the Liberals promised.

For attendance, the Liberals get an F. Apparently 11 Liberal leadership wannabes and their minions prefer playing hooky to representing their constituents here.

For attention, the Liberals get another F. It seems Liberal MPs just cannot resist their daytime naps in QP.

No wonder Canadians keep telling the Liberals to go stand in the corner.

[Finance, June 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend Liberal leadership wannabe, the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, said that he would cancel all the tax credits the government introduced. That means getting rid of the transit pass tax credit in favour of higher emissions, getting rid of the sports tax credit for families enrolling their kids in sports and physical activities, and the former professor will end tax credits for students. I guess that is the Harvard way. It is certainly not the Canadian way.

Could the finance minister tell us why taking away these tax credits is simply the wrong way to go?

[The Environment, June 5th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to cut greenhouse gases to 6% below 1990 emissions. Their policy according to Liberal Tom Axworthy “wasn't real anyway” and emissions under the liberals rose by 35%. Now he may have gotten it wrong on emissions, but the former Prime Minister understands what it is to cut. He successfully cut the budget for the environment by 40%.

His family shipping empire did its environmental part too by sweeping iron ore pellets from cargo holds to the bottom of the Great Lakes when no one was looking.

The Liberals failed to clean up the Sydney Tar Ponds too, preferring instead study after study on the issue. There has been more than a decade of inaction by Liberals on cleaning up toxic sites in Canada.

Now back in Essex, where smog advisories filled 13 summer calendars under the Liberals, we look forward to the easier breathing days of winter. Not so in the last election where the former PMs top belching jet paid us three lung-clogging visits in his desperate “cling to government tour”.

Canadians were not fooled though. They chose a Conservative government for real, positive environmental change.

[Veterans Affairs, May 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, our military men and women fought for our freedom and many lost their lives doing so. This year veterans of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment are planning to replace a memorial at Dieppe, France.

Could the Minister of Veterans Affairs tell us what the government is doing to ensure our veterans complete this project?

[Afghanistan, May 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just Liberal members who backtracked on their commitment to our troops in Afghanistan. The member for Sackville—Eastern Shore originally said:

The answer is yes, I support the mission and the troops in Afghanistan and so does my party....

Then, in an odd twist of logic, he said that he would abstain from the vote because he supported our troops. Finally, he showed up and voted against our troops.

The member for Halifax said:

It's not a question of should we be in Afghanistan. Yes, we should, we need to be, we need to be in for the long haul.

She too voted against our troops.

The member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie said:

Well, I think supporting the troops... I do agree with that... we think we should have a debate... So we still like to have a vote, and we'll vote in favour.'

Yet the member turned around and voted against our troops.

I find it sad that opposition members would play politics with this mission.

Not long ago many opposition members pledged full support for our troops. On Wednesday they flip-flopped and chose to vote against the government instead. Our military men and women deserve better.

[Canada Pension Plan, May 17th, 2006]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-306, An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan (early pension entitlement for police officers and firefighters).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce this bill on behalf of our hard-working police and firefighters. Firefighting and policing are physically and emotionally demanding and, as we learned with the recent death of Senior Constable John Atkinson of the Windsor Police Service, it is very dangerous as well.

Early retirement has long been accepted as being in the best interests of officers, their families and the public they serve. Our Income Tax Act permits police and firefighters to retire early at age 55. The officers and firefighters who retire early do not currently have the ability to make CPP contributions from 55 to 60 years of age. This bill is intended to address that concern.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Income Tax Act, May 17th, 2006]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-305, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (exemption from taxation of 50% of United States social security payments to Canadian residents).

Mr. Speaker, this bill is designed to restore tax fairness to Canadians, especially Canadian seniors who worked in the U.S. but lived and invested in our communities across Canada. Ten years ago they received a 70% tax hike. This bill seeks to reverse that. This bill received broad support from members in the last Parliament and was sent to committee. I look forward to their support again to ensure our seniors receive their deserved tax fairness.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Federal-Provincial Relations, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, first it was ethics amnesia, and now the Liberals forget how badly they beat up Dalton McGuinty. The premier has not forgotten. Neither have we.

The Liberal from Scarborough--Agincourt accused Mr. McGuinty of scapegoating the previous federal Liberal government to get re-elected, never mind that Mr. McGuinty was in year one of a four year term. It sounds more like what the former Liberal government was doing on the brink of collapse under the weight of its own corruption.

Members do not have take my word: let us take the words of the Liberal from Markham--Unionville, who accused Mr. McGuinty of not standing up for Canada. How could Mr. McGuinty, when he, according to the member, was horizontal, in bed with the separatist Bloc to defeat the Liberals in Ottawa? He called Mr. McGuinty “nationally dangerous” too.

The Liberal from Toronto Centre called Mr. McGuinty “unwise”. The Liberal from Don Valley West said he was like a rich man complaining, or passing strange, as the Liberal from Scarborough--Guildwood said. The Liberal from Pickering--Scarborough East admitted to no decent working relationship.

No wonder more Ontarians chose this Conservative government to improve relations between Ottawa and Queen's Park.