John Baird

[Natural Resources, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, for a Liberal to stand in this House and accuse anyone of breaking every rule in the book, I think that phrase was originally spoken by the Auditor General in relation to the political fundraising scandal involving the Liberal Party.

It is this Prime Minister who banned big money from politics. It is this Prime Minister who established an independent Commissioner of Lobbying with which the member is now in touch. It is this Prime Minister who strengthened the Lobbyist Registration Act.

Let us be very clear. We have brought in the toughest accountability rules in the history of this great country. We are committed to running a clean, open and transparent government, which was something that was sorely lacking in the previous administration.

[Tax Harmonization, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, he cites the example of Saskatchewan. To hard hit taxpayers in Saskatchewan, the previous NDP government was not satisfied with a 5% sales tax. It increased it to 9%.

Then the federal NDP comes into this place and votes against every single tax cut that this government has brought in. Whether it is for seniors, whether it is for students, or whether it is for folks with modest incomes who are struggling through some hard times, the NDP could always be counted on to want to keep taxes high.

Thank goodness for the leadership of our finance minister. Thank goodness for the Prime Minister's leadership. We are keeping taxes low. We are working to create an economy that will create jobs and open opportunities.

[Tax Harmonization, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the NDP complaining about high taxes would be like Colonel Sanders complaining about the rights of chickens.

Where was he when we tried to cut the GST? He was leading the charge to keep the GST at its historic high level.

This side of the House would have none of that. That is why we cut taxes and that is why Canada is in the economic position that is enviable in the rest of the industrialized world.

No one in Canada speaks up for lower taxes more than this government and this Prime Minister.

[Tax Harmonization, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the decisions to enter into a provincial harmonized tax with the federal GST are taken at the provincial level, as it happened in Atlantic Canada and other provinces.

For the leader of the NDP to take on the role of a tax fighter is something that is quite unprecedented. Where has he been?

When we wanted to cut the GST, was he for it or against it? Against it. When we wanted to cut income tax for all Canadians, was he for it or against it? Against it. When we wanted to lower the business taxes that he speaks of, where was he? Against it.

Shame on him.

[The Economy, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that this government has put in place countless measures to ensure that we monitor public finances, to ensure that we run the country as it should be run, conservatively and fiscally responsibly.

Every single day in this House the Liberal Party stands up and demands more spending and more programs, and every time we try to put some fiscal sanity into the debate in this place, that party can be counted on to shout it down.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer, Mr. Speaker, reports to you and we have every confidence in you and your fine staff.

[The Economy, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we have run an open and transparent government. It was this government that brought forth countless measures to get a hold of the public finances of this country—

[The Economy, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, that is not the case at all. We presented our economic action plan to this House in January. We were supported by the Liberal Party 79 times. The reality is that we have to work on creating jobs and economic growth. That is the goal of our Prime Minister and our government.

It is absolutely vital that we balance the budget. That is why we created a real plan that the Liberal Party supported 79 times and that is the plan we will continue to follow.

[The Economy, October 5th, 2009]

Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker. Our immediate priority is to focus on jobs, to focus on the economy, to focus on hope and opportunity for the many Canadians who, through no fault of their own, are unemployed and looking for work. That is why we came forward with the economic action plan, an action plan which, I should note, his party supported in this House some 79 times.

We recognize that there are important priorities out there. We recognize that paying down debt is a priority. That is why the Prime Minister and this government paid down almost $40 billion of debt for Canadians. That is good news for our country.

[Marine Safety, October 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada treats marine safety to be of paramount importance. The safety of the crew and of the travelling public is something that is tremendously important, but so too is environmental protection, and that is why we have brought in several measures and increased enforcement to assist in this regard.

We will fully accept our responsibilities to ensure that our marine environment is fully protected as we move forward.

[Intergovernmental Relations, October 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that last year we paid $130 million to Quebec in connection with harmonization of the GST and the QST. That is very important to point out in this debate. The Minister of Finance has spoken with his counterpart, Quebec's finance minister about this policy. We will continue to work with the Government of Quebec, not with the Bloc.