Jim Flaherty

[The Economy, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, along with reaffirming Canada's top credit rating, Standard and Poors praised Canada for its “strong track record in managing economic and financial crises and delivering economic growth”. The report added that our government has demonstrated an ability and willingness to implement reforms to ensure sustainable public finances over the long term.

While we are focused on growing Canada's economy, the Liberals have no plan and the NDP is pushing dangerous economic schemes and higher taxes, the last thing Canadians—

[The Economy, December 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette for the first relevant question of this question period.

What is actually important to Canadians are jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. The news this morning from Statistics Canada is terrific in that regard. More than 59,000 net new jobs were created in the month of November. The unemployment rate is down by two-tenths of a per cent to the lowest level it has been since the great recession of 2008-09.

As I say, this augurs well for jobs, growth and prosperity in Canada.

[Budget Implementation Legislation, December 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, last night the jobs and growth act passed unamended at report state. We will vote on the bill at third reading later today. I look forward to the vote.

However, Canadians should be disappointed in their NDP members and their reckless opposition allies in their tactics trying to delay Bill C-45, the jobs and economic growth bill. With global uncertainty facing the economy and a fragile global economy, our government will move ahead with the economic action plan to create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.

[Government Services, December 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, today we are trying to fight opposition motions to block Canadians trying to save for their retirement, to close tax loopholes, to build the Windsor-Detroit bridge to create jobs and growth in the province of Ontario, to help 500,000 small businesses create more jobs and to help the registered disability savings plan. Opposition members are all against these fine measures.

[Finance, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, far be it from me to be able to explain the member opposite's confusion with respect to numbers. The numbers are plain. We are on track to balance the budget during the current session of Parliament.

[Finance, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite seems to have some difficulty with numbers, which was not unusual in the Liberal Party over the time they were in power. If he looks at the fall economic update, the member will see that the numbers show a deficit within the adjustment for risk in the fiscal year 2015-16 of $1.8 billion, which, as I say, is within the adjustment for risk within the cushion built into the budget for risk. Therefore, we are on track to balance the budget in this term of Parliament.

[Finance, November 27th, 2012]

This is passing strange coming from the NDP, Mr. Speaker. This is a party that recommends more spending, more taxation, bigger deficits for our country. It is a party that voted against the economic stimulus in budget 2009, voted against creating more jobs for Canadians, voted against more infrastructure, voted against municipal infrastructure for provinces. It voted against all of that, all of which have worked.

Yes, there was a budget deficit. It has been reduced by half, and we are on track to a balanced budget.

[Finance, November 27th, 2012]

Of course, the member opposite is incorrect, Mr. Speaker. Our intention has always been to balance the budget in the medium term. If the member opposite and her colleagues care to look at the fall economic update, they will see that the deficit in 2015-16 is within the adjustment for risk in the budget. Therefore, it is quite clear that the budget can be balanced during the current term of Parliament.

[The Economy, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are agreed, as we always intended, to balance the budget in the medium term during the course of the current Parliament.

Having said that, Canada has created over 800,000 new jobs. The IMF and the OECD both project Canada to have among the strongest growth rates in the G7. We have the best banking system in the world. We have the highest credit rating in the world by the three major credit agencies and the lowest overall tax rate. Canada is doing relatively well.

[The Economy, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to point out for the member opposite that even today the OECD in its fall outlook continues to expect Canada to be among the fastest growing economies in the G7. In fact, Canada will have the second fastest growth among G7 countries over the next two years, only in comparison behind the United States, which is starting from a much lower base than Canada given our recovery.

We are doing very well in the world. We are not in need of a contingency plan because we are going to continue to grow.