House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 58% of the vote.
Government Contracts April 17th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite is suggesting that I deliberately broke the rules, he is wrong. It is absolutely not so. As I said weeks ago in this place and I will repeat again, with respect to that one contract, the administrative rules were not followed. That has been corrected and has not recurred.
Government Contracts April 17th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, we have been open and transparent about these contracts. They were listed online as part of proactive disclosure. They are on the website for anyone to read. Work was done. Value for money was done in very sensitive matters pertaining to national budget matters. Competent work was done.
There was an error made administratively with respect to one of the contracts and I have acknowledged that from the word go.
Government Contracts April 17th, 2008
What I said, Mr. Speaker, was that administrative functions were not followed, which is absolutely true and accurate. I made that clear in the House. For the hon. member to suggest anything else is beneath contempt.
Questions on the Order Paper April 14th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, where feasible and appropriate, a gender-based analysis was conducted on measures in the budget presented to the House of Commons on February 26, 2008.
The federal budget preparation process is a broad exercise involving many individuals and groups. It is an ongoing process of consultations, policy development and cabinet committee deliberations. The Department of Finance is unique in that it plays two roles within the Government of Canada: it is a central agency but it also develops and implements policies. In its role as a central agency, the Department of Finance assesses policies proposed by other departments. Therefore, in these circumstances, departments that sponsor the policies are responsible for ensuring that the full range of considerations are analyzed and assessed--including their gender implications – as they bring forward their policy proposals. In its role of developing and implementing policies, the department has adopted a systemic approach to conducting gender-based analysis--that is all budget policy proposals going to the minister include a section on gender-based analysis and gender-based analysis is developed and conducted when the policies are being developed, so it is an intrinsic part of policy work. The systemic approach allows for gender-based analysis to be included from the earliest stage of development of a policy.
In preparing budgets, the government’s actions and decisions are informed by consultations that are thorough and comprehensive. Specifically:
The Minister of Finance holds pre-budget consultations in person, which gives him first-hand knowledge of the views of various stakeholders, including non-government organizations, business, provinces and others;
The Minister of Finance also hosts on-line consultations which, this year, took place from mid-January to mid-February and attracted nearly 3,000 submissions from a broad cross-section of individual Canadians. More information on the online pre-budget consultations for budget 2008 can be found at http://www.fin.gc.ca/activty/consult/prebud08_e.html); and
Department of Finance officials consult with representatives of all sectors of society throughout the year.
Additionally, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance conducts pre-budget hearings across the country each fall, gathering submissions and testimony from individuals and stakeholder groups. These submissions and the committee’s report are closely monitored by the Government. More information on the submissions and House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance report can be found at http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/Content/HOC/committee/392/fina/reports/rp3253372/finarp03/finarp03-e.pdf)
The knowledge gained from extensive and multifaceted consultations by the minister, officials and the finance committee plays an essential role in informing the government’s understanding of the concerns and perspectives of stakeholders, as well as the impact of proposed policy initiatives on various segments of the population.
The budget presented to the House of Commons on February 26, 2008 and the ensuing legislative process mark the culmination of extensive deliberations and consultations on many fronts. In this regard, the policy directions and specific measures articulated in budget 2008 represent the government’s response to the many groups and individuals consulted.
Securities April 14th, 2008
The member opposite is mistaken, Mr. Speaker. Most of the entities who were selling the non-bank, asset-backed commercial paper were under the jurisdiction of the provincial securities regulators. This is a serious problem. It is a gap in dealing with this issue and the solution has to come from the Government of Canada and the Bank of Canada. It is we who had to create the Montreal table, create a forum to resolve this issue, and hopefully it will be resolved. The provinces were not there.
Securities April 14th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, Ontario is de facto regulating securities in Canada, since over 80% of all transactions take place there.
We believe that the constitutional jurisdictions of each level of government must be respected. We are aiming to establish a common securities regulator that will work with the provinces and territories, not a federal agency.
The Economy April 9th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite really should read the report before he asks questions about it.
Another example used by the international community reflecting on Canada's leadership is with respect to the non-bank-backed asset backed commercial paper and the Montreal accord, and the work on that accord led by Purdy Crawford, a great Canadian, who has developed in the private sector, with the facilitation of the Bank of Canada and the governor and the Department of Finance, a solution to that which we hope will pass with the investors on April 25.
Canaccord made an important announcement today with respect to the private investors. I hope--
The Economy April 9th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I am sure, if the hon. member has an opportunity to read the IMF report, which I have, he will see that Canada and the performance of this government are complimented.
We have been specifically chosen by the IMF as an example of what governments should do because we did it on a timely basis last year on October 30 with the economic stimulus that this country needed to create jobs. That is exactly what we did. As I said, we were lauded by the IMF in its report released today.
Manufacturing Sector April 9th, 2008
In 2007 alone, Mr. Speaker, Quebec had a 2.4% job growth rate above the national average. It is Quebec's best showing in five years in terms of new job creation. Since our government came to office over 813,000 new jobs have been created, over 14,000 new jobs in the month of March alone. We stand on that record. We are proud of the sound economic fundamentals in Canada.
Fitness Tax Credit April 7th, 2008
I know the member for Wascana would say it is not enough money, when his party did nothing for 13 years. At least we have moved forward and brought in a way for parents to help fight obesity in children, which is of great importance on a health basis.