House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 45% of the vote.
G8 and G20 Summits September 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the summit was held in the middle of the summer. We had some 20,000 security personnel and we do not apologize for providing the supplies to ensure their safety. We, on this side of the House, take the health and safety of our police officers very seriously.
G8 and G20 Summits September 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, Canada had an important responsibility in hosting the G8 and the G20. Obviously there were significant security measures put in place, some 20,000 police officers and security personnel, designed not only to keep the people attending the summit safe, but also to ensure that people and property in the city of Toronto and in Muskoka were safe.
We accept our response in this regard. We are very proud of the success of the two summits for the global economy and for combatting poverty in the third world.
G8 and G20 Summits September 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, in terms of controlling spending, it is this government that brought forward a good budget this past year, a plan to return Canada to a balanced budget, and the Liberal Party stood and voted against it. It also said that we were not spending enough on every single area and opposed every single attempt to rein in government spending.
We are proud of the work that went on at the G8 and the G20. It was a good success for Canada. We did spend a significant amount of money on security to keep people safe, to keep those leaders who were visiting Canada safe and to keep the people of Toronto safe. It was important that police officers on hand got the support that they needed.
G8 and G20 Summits September 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, that is quite a transformation we have seen from the Liberal Party. It was just in January that the leader of the Liberal Party said that the deficit was not his problem.
We are working hard to restore economic growth to Canada. We have seen the creation of some 430,000 net new jobs over the past 15 months. That is important, but the job is not yet done. We remain fully focused on the economy.
Canada did host the world. We are proud of the summit that produced significant results for both the economy and for those living in the third world. We are also very proud that the security worked so well, given the huge destruction that we saw by riotous protesters.
G8 and G20 Summits September 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the deputy leader of the opposition is himself a former minister of finance. He knows that job creation and economic growth must be a priority for government.
I have here a press release that was issued by the Department of Finance. It says:
The Minister of Finance, today rejected...a call to roll back corporate tax reductions...saying that the Government's tax reduction plan has produced significant economic and social benefits for all Canadians....the true benefits of tax cuts-namely jobs and economic growth.
Who was the minister of finance that said this? It was the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, the member for Wascana.
G8 and G20 Summits September 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, we had an important responsibility to host the world. I often look for guidance to a former member of this place. He said, “Well listen, it's part of our responsibilities. We're members of the G8. Now it's turned into the G20. We cannot refuse. It's part of our responsibilities. We have obligations as a country. We have obligations to fulfill them. Obviously this money is flowing into our economy and this will increase Canada's prestige”.
Who said that? It was the Right Hon. Jean Chrétien.
G8 and G20 Summits September 24th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, let me first congratulate the member for Wascana on his appointment as deputy leader of the opposition.
Let me also say this about Canada hosting the G8 and the G20. We are very proud of our accomplishment of these two summits that were put together, back-to-back, in an unprecedented fashion. We have said from the beginning that a majority of these costs were for security.
We had some 20,000 security personnel there to keep all those attending the summit safe and to ensure that the people in that region and the city of Toronto were safe. We think they did an outstanding job. The violence and destruction we saw there was the example of why we needed such stringent security.
Points of Order September 23rd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I have great respect for that member. We worked together on a number of issues when I was minister of transport, infrastructure and communities.
I would suggest for the hon. member and five of his colleagues that the public saw what happened with respect to the vote yesterday. Six members changed their mind. The other six had a degree of comfort that they could cast their vote knowing what the outcome would be, and it was the desired outcome of his leader.
I know the member to be fair. I know him to be honest and honourable. However, I would suggest, too, that it was far from clear.
Business of the House September 23rd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to officially congratulate the House leader of the official opposition on his first Thursday question and of course on his appointment as House leader. As I have already said, we want to make this Parliament work for Canadians and co-operate with all the opposition parties.
Let me also tell him, and particularly his leader, how very disappointed I am that I will not have the chance to work shoulder to shoulder with the great, wise helmsman from Wascana.
Let me take this opportunity to once again, in English, officially congratulate the House leader of the official opposition on his first Thursday question. As I have said in the past, we all want to work hard, we all want to work collaboratively to make this House work, and not just with him.
We also want to do so with our friends in the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party.
As government House leader, one of my very first acts on the day of the cabinet shuffle was to reach out to my opposition counterparts. Since then, I have had the opportunity to sit down with each of them and to hear their views about making Parliament work. I look forward to working with them over the coming days, weeks, months and years to do just that.
As for the House schedule, we will continue debate today on Bill C-5 (International Transfer of Offenders), followed by Bill C-31, Eliminating Entitlements for Prisoners, and Bill C-22, Protecting Children from Online Sexual Exploitation.
On Monday, we will call Bill C-8, Canada-Jordan Free Trade Act, and Bill C-28, Fighting Spam, an important piece of legislation presented by the Minister of Industry.
Tuesday, September 28, will be an allotted day, and on Wednesday and Thursday, the order of business will be Bill C-8, if not already disposed of on Monday, Bill C-46, Canada-Panama Free Trade Act, and Bill C-28, Fighting Spam.
Pensions September 23rd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, with respect to federal pensions, by a statute of this House they go up by the rate of inflation.
We have provided great support to Canadian seniors for the great contributions they have made to our country. They deserve it. That is why this government has provided unprecedented support to them.
We have to see a growing economy, and that is why Canada has become a magnet for jobs, investment and opportunity. That is why we have seen the creation of 430,000 net new jobs. That is good news. The job is not done. We remain focused on creating even more.