House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 58% of the vote.
Taxation March 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, indeed, the banks and financial institutions in Canada pay very substantial taxes each year. They are a tremendous success story. As we look around the world now at the global recession, the worst recession since the 1930s, Canadian financial institutions stand out worldwide as being reliable, solid, well regulated and a beacon of financial stability in a troubled economic world.
Manufacturing Industry March 9th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question from the member for Oakville, a riding that has a lot of manufacturers, including small and medium sized manufacturers in southern Ontario. We did highlight today the fact that Canada will become a tariff-free zone for manufacturers as a result of budget 2010.
We will eliminate all job-killing tariffs on manufacturing inputs, machinery and equipment, which will make Canada the first country in the G20 to eliminate all manufacturing tariffs. As in many other ways, including fiscal management, the banking sector and the financial sector overall, Canada is leading the way in the G20.
Taxation March 9th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, what we have done as part of the economic stimulus is frozen EI premiums for two years. This is a very substantial benefit for employers and employees as part of the economic action plan. However, after that, as with the other stimulus items in the economic action plan, they will come to an end.
Why will they come to an end? It is because it is a time for a return to private demand to replace the public demand and the emergency demand over the two years of the economic action plan. Then we can move back to balanced budgets, avoiding anything but a temporary deficit. That is the plan, that is the budget and that is what we will do.
Taxation March 9th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, unlike the tax and spend views of the Liberal Party, we do not believe Canadians should be paying more taxes. Since coming to office, we have actually reduced the overall tax burden by an incredible number: $220 billion. Not only that, but we have no intention, like the party opposite, of increasing the GST.
Pensions March 9th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is one of the few people in Canada who believes she has the sole correct answer on a very important issue for Canadians about retirement income.
In fact, last year consultations were conducted and, as a result of those consultations, we brought in regulations protecting pensioners by requiring companies to fully fund pension benefits on plan termination and certain other measures that arose out of those specific consultations dealing with those specific issues.
Now, working with the provinces and the territories, which I gather the member opposite is against, but working with other governments in Canada we will do these public consultations and then the--
The Budget March 4th, 2010
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker.
The Budget March 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the question by the member for Mississauga—Erindale is clearly the best question yet this afternoon. No doubt he is certainly the finest member of Parliament that Mississauga--Erindale has ever had.
Canadian manufacturers have been through a difficult time. It is important that we support them as much as we can in Mississauga and in other important manufacturing areas in Canada, even Brampton. We are doing that, particularly in this budget, through creating the first tariff-free zone in the G20. This measure alone will create another 12,000 new jobs in Canada.
The Budget March 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the budget speech does not repeat everything that was said in the Speech from the Throne and vice versa. The commitment with respect to exploring those options remains. They were expressed in the Speech from the Throne yesterday.
However, it takes some nerve for the member opposite to say that nothing is being done for the unemployed. More than $4 billion in the economic action plan in the coming year is being spent to extend benefits for people, to extend work-sharing for those 225,000 Canadians who already access the increased work-sharing program. Surely that should mean something to the member for Outremont.
The Budget March 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question. We consulted with the Bloc before the budget. The first thing they asked for was help for the forestry industry. We addressed that in the budget.
We also had some good discussions about harmonization with the Quebec government. I talked to Quebec's finance minister, and our officials will continue to discuss the issue. The first thing we need is an agreement.
The Budget March 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I commend the budget to the member. He ought to read particularly pages 164 and 165, which set out the specific calculations, the budget 2010 savings measures that will take us to savings of $17.6 billion over the course of the next five years. This, together with the termination of the economic action plan at the end of the next fiscal year, will result in a near balance of budget by 2014-15.
If he wants to talk to economists about it, he can read their names in the second paragraph of page 32. It is a great read and the hon. member ought to read the budget.