John Baird

[Afghanistan, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear that if we are going to put troops into combat, into a war situation, for the sake of legitimacy we are going to bring it before Parliament. That has been our practice as a government.

What we are talking about here is a technical and a training mission. Our recent deployment of military personnel to Haiti following the recent earthquake is a perfect example of troop deployment in a non-combat role.

What we want to do is increase the capacity of the Afghan national army to be able to deal with the security of Afghanistan on its own. That is a great practice for Canada where we can actually train and provide the tools that Afghanistan needs in order to do its own job.

[Afghanistan, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the government has always been incredibly clear that our combat mission would end in Afghanistan in 2011. That will be the case. At that time we will begin the transition into a training mission to support the people of Afghanistan, to provide aid and to focus on development in Afghanistan.

This is an important priority. We are going to work closely with our NATO allies in this UN-sanctioned effort.

[The Environment, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we know very well that Quebec profits from the oil sands industry. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec invested more than $380 million in the oil sands. It invested more than $600 million in Canadian Natural Resources Limited. Furthermore, even the leader of the Bloc has personally benefited from this industry through the Caisses populaires Desjardins's Helios program. Those on the other side of the House should call themselves the new PQ, the “Pétrolières québécoises”.

[Taxation, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell you what is important. It is important that we create a tax dynamic in Canada that makes us a magnet, a magnet for jobs, a magnet for investment, and a magnet for opportunity. That is exactly what we are doing.

What we know is that high taxes kill jobs. We saw that in Ontario during the last recession and we will not make those same mistakes in Canada.

[Government Priorities, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, it was the Minister of Finance who stood in this place some two years ago and brought forward Canada's economic action plan, a plan that was so good, even the Liberal Party of Canada stood up and supported it.

The good news is that the plan is working. We have seen the creation of some 420,000 net new jobs. That is incredibly positive for the Canadian economy, but we must not celebrate. We must recommit ourselves to keeping taxes low and avoid the temptation that the Liberals seem to have of raising taxes.

That is our focus. That is our priority and the job is not yet done. We will continue to fight for more jobs for Canada.

[National Defence, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, let me say this. The Government of Canada, when the hon. member opposite was a member of the cabinet, spent some $170 million in the development of this very same aircraft. It would seem rather strange that we would spend literally $170 million and then change our minds and go with a different plane.

This is the only option on the table, the only fifth generation stealth fighter. It is the same plane which 10 of our closest allies are purchasing. The American government has put a significant amount of money into the development of this plane. We believe that our men and women in uniform need this plane to do the job after 2020, when the logical lifespan of the CF-18s expires.

[Take Note Debate, November 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, after consultations with the other parties with respect to a take note debate on pensions, I move:

That a Take-Note Debate on the subject of the national discussion focusing on improvements to Canada's retirement income system, including the ongoing dialogue between federal, provincial and territorial governments and consultations with all Canadians, take place, pursuant to Standing 53.1, on Tuesday, November 23, 2010.

[Privacy and Personal Information, November 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this is obviously an important piece of legislation that is before committee. We have a great deal of regard for the Privacy Commissioner. We will continue to work with her on these issues.

There is a small amount of information that is being requested by the Obama administration. We will also continue to work with it.

We have to ensure that our aviation system is safe, that we can co-operate with our allies and ensure that Canadians' reasonable expectation of privacy is respected.

[G8 and G20 Summits, November 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the Department of Foreign Affairs has already spoken to the compensation plans that are available, and the deadline was just yesterday. They will be processed as expeditiously as possible.

This government has made unprecedented investments in the city of Toronto, whether it is in public transit, or in arts and culture or in municipal infrastructure. No government has done more to support Toronto's infrastructure in five short years than this government has done.

[G8 and G20 Summits, November 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as part of Canada's economic action plan, investments were made in the region of Muskoka to support the summit, to spruce it up for the huge number of international visitors and media not just at the summit site, but even hundreds of kilometres away. Some investments were also made to municipal infrastructure to compensate the community for the inconvenience.

That is something which has happened in past summits. It is certainly not unusual.