Jim Flaherty

[The Budget, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have had this debate in this place before, and also with the provincial and territorial ministers.

Employers and employees in Canada today, in a fragile economy, do not need additional burdens. What they need is as much money as they can get from their hard work to support themselves and their families.

For this reason, we froze EI rates.

[The Budget, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that the Government of Quebec has its own program, independent of the Government of Canada. The changes are being made by the Government of Quebec.

[The Budget, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. Prince George—Peace River is fortunate to have him as member of Parliament.

Our government respects the brave men and women who put their lives at risk, like Tim Jones of British Columbia, who died on January 19 this year after 26 years with the North Shore Rescue team.

Economic action plan 2014 introduces the search and rescue volunteers tax credit. Eligible ground, air, and marine search and rescue workers will be able to claim a 15% tax credit. They must perform 200 or more hours of volunteer search and rescue service to qualify. I thank the member for the idea.

[The Budget, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, there were a lot of questions there.

Let me answer the question that I think actually has some merit. When members look at the budget, they will see that there is some spending that has been pushed forward for the armed forces. This is for infrastructure in the armed forces, for procurement.

It is because the expense cannot be incurred this year or next year. Therefore we are moving it forward, because the money cannot be used this year or next year. It is not a cut. The money is there to be used, but the equipment has to be ready to be manufactured and purchased.

[The Budget, February 11th, 2014]

I am sure the member opposite would rather read the budget than have a fine dinner tonight.

[The Budget, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, apprentices, mentoring programs, paid intern programs, the auto sector, the forestry sector, the mining sector, special tax rates for manufacturers so they can hire more people, which they do, are all included in our plan. This is a long-term plan and it is working.

[The Budget, February 11th, 2014]

moved:

That this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the budget documents for 2014, including notices of ways and means motions.

The details of the measures are contained in these documents, and I am asking that an order of the day be designated for consideration of these motions.

I also wish to announce that the government will introduce legislation to implement the measures in the budget.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 150 years ago, Canada was founded with fiscal responsibility as its cornerstone. The men and women who carved this great country out of the wilderness simply called it “good government”. That is what minister of finance John Rose was talking about when he stood before this assembly to deliver Canada's first budget speech in 1868. He said, “I say that we ought to be most careful in our outlay, and consider well every shilling we expend”. That's just old-fashioned English for old-fashioned common sense, and it is that solid Canadian common sense that has guided our government through good times and bad.

I am proud to rise today to present Canada's economic action plan 2014. This prudent plan builds on our record of strong, sound, and consistent fiscal management. It is a low-tax plan to promote jobs and economic growth and support Canadian families, and it is a common sense plan that will see Canada return to a balanced budget in 2015.

Economic action plan 2014 sticks to the principles that we adopted when I rose to deliver our government’s first budget in 2006 during good times. I was six foot four then. Things got a little rough.

What did our government do then, when few could see dark clouds on the horizon? We paid down our federal debt. We lowered taxes for families and job creators. We made sure that our fiscal house was in order. Why did we do this? We did it because it was the responsible way to a brighter future for Canadians.

Financial prudence now leads to financial prosperity in the future. It leads to opportunity.

And so it was that when economic bad times came, our country was better prepared than most.

Since the depths of the recession, Canada has led the G7 in job creation.

Coming out of the recession, Canada had a triple-A credit rating with a stable outlook—which was and still is virtually unmatched among our peers.

We have the best net debt-to-GDP ratio among G7 nations.

There are many reasons to be optimistic.

There are signs of recovery around us, but there are also troubled waters. The world economy is still fragile. One need look no further than Europe and the emerging economies to see that.

Here at home, household debt is still higher than we would like to see.

And there are still too many Canadians looking for work, and too many employers looking for workers.

There is still work to be done.

Mr. Speaker, it will not surprise you that my favourite Father of Confederation is Thomas D'Arcy McGee, who once said, “We are in the rapids and must go on”. Even as the times get better again, we will stay the course that has worked so well.

My other favourite Father of Confederation, Sir John A. Macdonald, could have been talking about our economic action plan when he said, “the Government are merely trustees for the public”. That is why we are so committed to balancing the budget and returning Canada to a position of fiscal strength.

When governments run prolonged deficits, they are spending money that belongs to future generations. Deficit spending endangers social programs we benefit from and that our children will soon depend on.

We also recognize that balanced budgets are important to the long-term prosperity of this country, inspiring confidence in investors and consumers, whose dollars grow the economy and create jobs.

This also ensures that interest rates stay low.

Canadians have trusted us with the economy, and we have delivered.

As we have promised, our government remains committed to balancing the budget in 2015, but I must be clear. We did not do this on the backs of ordinary Canadians or Canadians in need. We did not cut the programs Canadians rely on. We did not cut transfers to our provinces and territories, money they use for things like education and health care. Rather, we did this by getting our own fiscal house in order. That is exactly how our government will continue.

Our government has reduced direct program spending for the third year in a row. That is something no other government has done in decades.

Our Government continues to eliminate waste that will cut the cost of government without cutting programs Canadians depend on. Going forward, the government will freeze the operating expenses of departments and we will continue to divest government assets when in the best interest of Canadians to do so.

By doing these things, we will not only balance the budget in 2015, we will achieve a surplus. However, again let me be clear, a return to surplus is not a licence to spend recklessly.

What we will do—what we have always done—is stay the course.

We will make sure Canada's fiscal position remains strong, strong enough to weather any future global economic storms. That starts with paying down the debt and keeping taxes low. Even in the toughest economic times, our government has worked hard to reduce the tax burden for Canadian families and Canadian businesses.

In fact, the federal tax burden is the lowest it has been in 50 years. Since taking office, we have delivered more than 160 tax-relief measures; lowered the GST to 5% from 7%; introduced pension-income splitting for seniors; and created the working income tax benefit, WITB, to help ensure that low-income workers are better off by taking a job.

Now, an average family of four pays $3,400 less in tax in a year. But we also know that taxes help fund programs and services Canadians rely on. And we will keep closing tax loopholes so every Canadian pays their fair share.

By keeping taxes low, we have created the best environment for business investment in the G7, and those businesses create jobs for Canadians. Creating jobs and creating opportunities remain our government's top priorities. We already have the best record for job creation in the G7 countries. Since the depths of the economic recession, employment has increased by more than one million people. These jobs are overwhelmingly full-time and in the private sector.

And we are making sure that opportunities are there for everyone.

We have invested in apprenticeship programs and measures to increase the numbers of people with disabilities, young people, and aboriginal Canadians in the workforce, by helping them find the job training they need.

However, there is more we can and will do. That is why today I am pleased to announce the Canada apprentice loan, which will give apprentices registered in red-seal trades access to interest-free student loans. Millions of other Canadians have benefited from student loans before, but apprentices have not and, as I say, the loans would be interest-free.

That is why the Prime Minister announced more than $1.9 billion in new funding to implement the first nations control of first nations education act.

Canada has one of the best educated workforces in the world. In fact, the number of Canadians under 25 with university degrees has gone up by more than 50% since 2002. Still, getting that first job after finishing college or university can be challenging.

To help young people get the first, critical work experience they need, our government will focus investment to support internships in high-demand fields and in small and medium-sized businesses.

As well, we will support two programs that will help people with disabilities find jobs and stay employed.

Ready, Willing & Able is an initiative to help Canadians with intellectual disabilities become part of the workforce.

We will also invest in a program to help young people with autism find rewarding jobs.

We will also implement an enhanced job match service to help unemployed Canadians get back to work by connecting them with employers looking to hire individuals with their skill set.

We will also introduce a new expression of interest system to ensure that Canada has an efficient, flexible immigration system that matches the needs of employers.

Canada leads the G7 when it comes to investing in post-secondary research.

And we know that investments in science and technology help Canadian business remain competitive while creating high-paying jobs.

That is why we have invested more than $11 billion in new resources since 2006 to support science, technology, and innovative companies that are opening new frontiers for Canada.

That is why I am very pleased today to announce our government's investment in the Canada first research excellence fund. The fund will support the strategic research priorities of Canada's post-secondary institutions. It will help them excel globally in research areas that create long-term economic advantages for Canada.

In addition, budget 2014 includes the largest yearly increase in funding for research through the granting councils in over a decade.

In Canada's very first budget speech, finance minister John Rose said:

What this country wants is care and judgment in the development of its resources.

Those words still ring true today. That is why our government is promoting safe, responsible resource development that is not bogged down by unnecessary red tape. Minister Rose also said:

...we must not neglect the means necessary to bring our products of all kinds to a profitable market.

This is also true today, especially when it comes to energy. Making sure that Canadian energy remains available to markets around the world is a priority for this government. That is why I am happy to announce today that economic action plan 2014 sets aside funds for review of projects like the energy east pipeline proposal.

In addition, as Canada has always been an exporting nation, our investment in the new Windsor-Detroit crossing means that Canadian goods will go to market faster, allowing businesses to grow, expand trade, and help to secure a prosperous future.

Our government is committed to protecting Canada’s environment.

And that commitment is evident in our ongoing investment in national parks.

In fact, since coming to office, we have added more than 160,000 square kilometres to our national parks and marine conservation system. These priceless natural and historical places are a spectacular legacy for our children, and we must ensure they remain pristine; and we are, and we will.

I am pleased to announce that our government is investing to maintain these national treasures for the next generation to enjoy. We will make substantial investments through Parks Canada to improve the highways, bridges, and dams located in our national parks and along our historic canals.

We also know that partnering with committed citizen groups can make conservation dollars stretch farther. That is why we introduced the recreational fisheries conservation partnership program, which doubled the impact of every dollar invested in its first year.

Today, we are increasing our commitment to protect even more sensitive fish habitat in the future.

Canada is blessed with a network of recreational trails that allow Canadians to connect with nature all year round.

It pleases me to announce that our government will partner with the National Trails Coalition to make this recreational experience even better, fulfilling another of our 2011 platform commitments.

Families are the lifeblood of every community. Our government is working hard to ensure that Canadian families are protected in their communities. As part of these efforts, we will create a DNA-based missing persons index to help bring some peace to the families of missing persons. For that, I want to thank Judy Peterson.

We are also standing up for hard-working families trying to make ends meet.

Our Consumers First agenda will help ensure Canadians are also protected in the marketplace.

When Canadian families spend their hard-earned money, they should be confident that they are being treated fairly in a competitive marketplace.

That is why we took steps to increase competition in the wireless sector, which has reduced wireless rates by 20%.

That is why we are taking steps to lower wholesale roaming rates within Canada and giving the CRTC the power to impose financial penalties on companies that do not comply with the rules.

We will also introduce legislation to address the price gap between identical goods sold in Canada and the United States.

We will also continue our investments in Canada's food safety system by hiring more inspectors to ensure that the food destined for Canadian dinner tables is safe.

We will prohibit the pay-to-pay practice that charges consumers for paper bills—including printed credit card statements.

Reducing red tape for charities by enabling them to apply for registration and file their annual returns electronically is also a step we will take.

We will also make major investments in access to broadband in rural and northern areas.

I am proud of our government's record of fiscal restraint and good management.

Our record, during the worst economic crisis of our lifetime, has been the envy of the world.

This record has been the envy of the world. I believe we have been, as Sir John A. wanted us to be, trustees for the public.

I know that I speak on behalf of all my colleagues when I say that we are truly grateful to all Canadians for putting their trust in us.

I know that I speak on behalf of my colleagues when I say that we are truly grateful to all Canadians for putting their trust in us. We have worked hard and we will continue to work hard to, as D'Arcy McGee said:

...strengthen the faith of our people in their own future, the faith of every Canadian in Canada....

The plan unveiled today is another prudent step toward that brighter future.

[Employment, January 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member for Peterborough. We are going to focus on jobs, prosperity and economic growth. We have built a track record in this regard as a government, and we intend to stay on the same path and get back to a balanced budget in 2015.

[Consumer Protection, January 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition should get its facts right. Those members might be interested to know that we have taken the time to consult with Germany; they would have discovered that Canada does indeed have the best job creation record in the G7, with 6.1% growth. Germany has the third best record, with 4% growth.

It is disappointing to hear the opposition cheering against Canada's economic performance.

[Consumer Protection, January 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is not my habit to include NDP solutions to economic issues in Canada.

As highlighted in the Speech from the Throne, our government will take further action to expand no-cost banking options available to Canadians.