Jim Flaherty

[The Economy, May 11th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I can only speak to the involvement of the Department of Finance with respect to the release of information by Statistics Canada. It is released to the department the day before. The employment and unemployment numbers are provided to me as the Minister of Finance the night before and all of that is kept confidential.

[Pensions, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we have already doubled the time required for payments to 10 years for federally regulated pensions. This is very important. Of course, with the decline in some of the capital markets, the value of some of the pension plans has declined. This requires some additional capital payments by some employers.

I say to the member opposite that what is important is that the workers, some of them represented by unions, the pensioners and the employers work together toward solutions. We are certainly prepared to work with them.

[Pensions, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite had been paying attention, he would know that there has been a consultation under way for several months, that it was announced in the budget, the budget he voted against without ever reading it. He apparently still has not read Canada's economic action plan, because it lays out the steps we are taking to resolve the pension issues that are of primary importance to Canadians.

[AbitibiBowater, May 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the point I made with the member last week was about pensions, that the majority of pensions in this country are subject to provincial regulation, which is the case in AbitibiBowater.

It has gone to court. There is a bankruptcy proceeding going on. I see that the judge today ruled in favour of the union with respect to certain collective agreements and the fact that they must be respected.

That is the role of the courts, applying the bankruptcy laws of Canada.

[Automotive Industry, May 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in response to the hon. member last week, we have been consulting with Canadians carefully, with auto dealers, with the auto assemblers, with the auto parts people to frame this package in an intelligent way so that it will actually work for the industry. I look forward to making the announcement shortly.

[AbitibiBowater, April 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is a provincially regulated pension plan with respect to AbitibiBowater. I suggest the member opposite take it up with the provincial government in Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Finance, April 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, that is right. The Bloc Québécois voted against Canada's economic action plan.

If they were successful, if they had their way, there would be no $20 billion in tax cuts and no stimulus package for any part of this country, including Quebec, because they voted against the economic action plan. There would be no support for Canadians with respect to EI, elongating EI, and helping industries like the forestry industry and the auto industry, for people to retrain.

That is what the Bloc voted against.

[Canada Pension Plan, April 30th, 2009]

Your brother probably supports it. Be careful what you say.

They have been supportive over the years. This is a well-run pension plan and we support it.

[Canada Pension Plan, April 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite is asking the provincial governments, the territorial governments and the Government of Canada to do is to interfere in the day-to-day operations of the Canada pension plan and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

I gather some of the Liberals, like the member from Ottawa, want the same thing to happen.

We do not believe in that. Pensions are too important for Canadians. The Canada pension plan has been successful over the years--

[Canada Pension Plan, April 30th, 2009]

Is the member opposite so unaware of what is going on in the economy and in the markets, Mr. Speaker, that he is not aware of the very substantial market losses during the course of the past year? Is he not aware that the performance of the Canada pension plan is relatively good? Is he in favour of politicians interfering with the management and the investment policies of the Canada pension plan? We are opposed to that.