Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Laurier—Sainte-Marie. I would like her to know that the Conservative Party is all for creating wealth and the possibility of providing social programs. It is a balance that we must work toward achieving. I think that is important. I appreciate the hon. member mentioning that we in the Conservative Party are committed to success and economic prosperity.
Before I go on, I would like to say that I will be sharing my time with my colleague who represents a riding in the beautiful greater Quebec City region, the hon. member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup. We make a very good team in the Quebec City region. It is a very prosperous region because it has the lowest unemployment rate. It is mostly represented by the Conservative Party, the official opposition. I am not sure if that is a sign, but people have access to social programs. We take good care of the entire population.
According to the hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, the government has to come clean and disclose all the details in this affair and others like it.
I would like to welcome my colleague from Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, the riding I just spoke highly of. He does excellent work. He is currently going around to talk to businesses. Once again, we in the Conservative party look after the economy. My colleague does so in his riding.
The member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie added that our economy should benefit everyone, not just the minority at the top.
The affair he is referring to is the KPMG scheme and the role of the Canada Revenue Agency. We find ourselves today with this NDP motion to address tax avoidance.
Yes, the public's confidence in our institutions has been undermined. Yes, we must tackle tax evasion. All 338 MPs from all parties probably agree with this statement. However, how do we do that?
We cannot support this motion. Why? Simply because Canadians pay too much in taxes. Whether they are individuals or businesses, Canadian taxpayers are being gouged. We know that high tax rates hurt Canadians who are trying to build a good life for themselves and their families.
I was singing the praises of the riding represented by my colleague from Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, but my riding, which has a shorter name, has its own vibrant economy. I am very proud to rise in the House to represent the 105,000 residents of my riding.
Thousands of people in my riding get up every morning and go to work. They work very hard, just like people all across this country. They need a little hope and a little help.
Tax rates also hurt businesses whether they are small, medium-sized or large, because they have to compete locally, nationally, and globally. Conservatives understand this and are committed to making sure that Canadians keep more of their hard-earned money for themselves.
The motion presented by the hon. member, the NDP finance critic, ignores the heavy burden placed on Canadians. That burden has been getting heavier since the Liberal government came to power.
The NDP cannot say it wants a Canadian economy that is good for all Canadians if it thinks the only battle worth fighting is the one against tax evasion. Vision is vital here. Fighting tax evasion on the one hand while bleeding taxpayers and businesses dry on the other is not good enough because it is not really tackling the problem.
We need to be more pragmatic. We need a balanced policy. We need to ensure that companies will want to set up shop here and that Canadians will see their dreams of starting their own business as achievable, that it is possible to start a business that will be viable and prosperous for the long term.
People have the right to make money here in Canada. That goes without saying. When people make money, it creates wealth and the government benefits from that. I hope this government will manage public funds better than it has done. Only then will we be able to provide social programs to everyone who needs them.
On the one hand, the government says that it cares about the well-being of the middle class. On the other hand, it did not keep its promise to lower taxes for the middle class. Day after day, this government breaks its election promises and misleads Canadians.
The Liberals promised to lower the corporate tax rate to 9.5%, but that has not happened. They promised a “modest” deficit of $10 billion. In my view, $10 billion is huge, but for the Liberals, that is modest. Plus, they said that we would return to a balanced budget by the next election, which will be in 2019. What are the forecasts? If nothing changes, that will not happen until 2055. In 2019, during the next election, Canadians should make the right choice. Everyone knows that we have hit a wall when it comes to public finances.
As for the NDP, it does not understand and does not see, or worse does not want to see, that tax evasion is just one part of the equation. The NDP supported not a single one of the tax cuts for small and medium-sized enterprises proposed by the previous government, that of Stephen Harper. The Harper government saw to creating a healthy fiscal environment for businesses thanks to its tax cuts which brought the general corporate income tax rate down from 22% to 15%. It lowered taxes for small businesses and created measures to attract businesses and make them more prosperous, which is the least we could expect, in my opinion.
When we acknowledge that small and medium-sized enterprises play a key role in our economy, it becomes clear that the government has to see to stimulating the creation of SMEs and to allowing them not only to survive, but to grow, create jobs, and contribute to the economic growth and prosperity of our great country.
Between 2006 and 2015, Stephen Harper's government lowered taxes 180 times. That is a fact. We brought taxes down to their lowest point in 50 years. That is what Canadians need.
Where are we today? Nearly two years later, the Liberal government is asking Canadians to tighten their belts even more. In budget 2016, the Liberal government rushed to eliminate the tax credits created by the Harper government to help Canadian families. That is not all. Who is going to pay off this massive debt? It is Canadian taxpayers, our children, our grandchildren, and even our great-grandchildren.
Where is the Liberal government's much-talked-about plan, the one it promised during the election campaign? Has Justin Trudeau's economic plan gone up in smoke? It is something that has to be asked. However, in my opinion and that of the Conservative Party, which I am very proud to be a member of, the answer is very clear. The government not only needs to put a stop to tax avoidance by ensuring that all companies and Canadians pay their fair share of taxes, but it also needs to stop gouging Canadians.
Between 2006 and 2015, Stephen Harper's government took decisive action to close over 85 tax loopholes, which saved billions of dollars.
I would like to review the parties' positions on eliminating tax havens in the 2015 campaign. The Liberal Party said absolutely nothing. We have become accustomed to the Liberals saying words that mean nothing. It has no plan. As for the NDP, it believes that this could be worthwhile. However, it did not come up with a budget or a plan. As for the Conservative Party, it said that it wold not tolerate white collar crime. It put that in writing. I would remind members that the economic action plan allocated $5 million a year over five years to the Canada Revenue Agency to step up its research.
I am very proud to have risen in the House today. I invite my colleagues to ask questions. I will be pleased to answer them. It is important to create wealth in order to be able to provide social programs. We must see the big picture.
