House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 58% of the vote.
The Budget March 10th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-253 is nothing but a Liberal effort to amend the government's budget without triggering an election. Budget 2008 contained an enriched savings plan already, the tax-free savings account.
The Liberal bill is an American style legislative tactic designed to threaten our balanced budget and plunge Canada back into deficit. The budget implementation legislation will deal with this issue shortly.
Federal-Provincial Relations March 10th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I love Ontario and I like low taxes. I would like to see low taxes in the province of Ontario.
What do we see in the country? We see a Liberal government in the province of British Columbia lowering its business taxes. We see an NDP government in the province of Manitoba lowering its taxes.
What is wrong with the Liberal government in the province of Ontario, which has the highest taxes on new business investment in the whole country? This is not good for business. It is anti-jobs. It will kill jobs in the province of Ontario. It hurts investment.
Federal-Provincial Relations March 10th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, as usual, the member opposite does not believe a word she just said.
If we listen to the critic, the member for Markham—Unionville, when the Harris government was in office, in which I was privileged to be finance minister for part of that time, he said, “I think taxing is a bold and innovative move and I think it will pay dividends, a huge bang for the buck through low corporate taxes”.
The Leader of the Opposition said the same thing about federal corporate taxes, “Get them down”. We are doing that. Why not the same thing in the provinces, especially Ontario?
Taxation March 4th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the problem in Ontario, as I am sure the member opposite knows, is it has the highest taxes on new business investments in Canada. Its own competitive board, appointed by the Government of Ontario, says that not only are they the highest business taxes in Canada, but they are the highest in North America and the highest among the major economies.
Those taxes are bad. If members do not believe me, listen to this: “A low corporate tax rate is not a right-wing policy or a left-wing policy. It is a sound policy”. Who said that? It was the Leader of the Opposition.
The Economy March 4th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, Canada's economic fundamentals are very strong because we prepared for an economic slowdown in the United States. We acted early. We acted last year. We were prepared. The stimulus already entering the Canadian economy is $21 billion, which is 1.4% of GDP. We see the example already in the month of February, with record auto sales in Canada.
The Economy March 4th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member says that the budget did nothing for manufacturing. He could not be more wrong. There are $1 billion in accelerated capital cost allowances. Add that to the $1.3 billion last year. There are $2.3 billion for manufacturers alone with respect to acquiring machinery and equipment and writing it off over a five year period, exactly what was recommended unanimously by the industry committee of the House. This is a stimulus to manufacturers and it is working. We are seeing more acquisition of—
Federal-Provincial Relations March 3rd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, we cannot ignore the facts. Mr. McGuinty's own task force on competitiveness says that Ontario has the highest taxation on new business investment, not only in Canada and in North America but among developed economies.
What needs to be done is to reduce corporate taxes. Who said “corporate tax cuts are one of the best strategies to attract investment and help manufacturers battered by the high Canadian dollar”? The member for Markham—Unionville.
Federal-Provincial Relations March 3rd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the member for Wascana is being very noisy today. He should take a rest for a moment.
The reality is the highest taxes on new business investment in Canada are in the province of Ontario. The reality also is the major part of manufacturing is in the province of Ontario. The result is the policies of the McGuinty government are harming manufacturing in the province of Ontario at the very time that we need to stimulate growth. He needs to reduce corporate taxes in Ontario and he needs to do it now.
Federal-Provincial Relations March 3rd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the reality is a question of fact.
Securities Industry March 3rd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, our intention is to respect the various jurisdictions. In fact, Mr. Hockin's panel will report back, not only to me but also to the provincial and territorial ministers of finance.
Having said that, it is somewhat strange that, at the same time that the TSX and the Montreal Exchange are getting together willingly, the Bloc advocates for the location of a national carbon exchange in the city of Montreal at the same time that the member opposite argues against a common securities regulator for Canada.