John Baird

[The Economy, December 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I will give you the facts. Since July 2009, we have seen the creation of some 820,000 net new jobs.

Here, I am pleased to correct the record from yesterday, because unbeknownst to the Leader of the Opposition, 75% of those jobs were in the private sector.

In this fragile economy, the House needs to have the NDP stop fighting the job-creating hiring credit for small business, stop fighting the new, economically vital Windsor-Essex to Detroit crossing and get behind the budget bill of the Minister of Finance.

[Foreign Affairs, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can be very proud of the role our government played in the Ottawa treaty. Lloyd Axworthy, one of my predecessors, as a distinguished foreign minister, worked very hard on this issue. Canada continues to be a top 10 funder of this.

Canada also has other priorities and other challenges that it seeks to tackle, particularly the Prime Minister's leadership on maternal health. It is something that Canadians can be equally excited about, the international leadership that has been shown by another Government of Canada.

[Persons with Disabilities, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this government has brought forward a substantial number of tax reductions that help all Canadians, including those Canadians with a disability.

Just before Parliament we have measures to improve registered disability savings plans. The Liberals are trying to delay those initiatives from being tackled. This government has brought forward the working income tax benefits. This government has brought forward substantial tax reductions. This government cuts taxes for Canadians who pay taxes, and that is, I guess, a fundamental difference from the Liberal Party.

[Persons with Disabilities, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this government has taken substantial initiatives to help all Canadians who seek employment. We are particularly concerned, obviously, by those Canadians who are disabled and have trouble seeking employment. That is why this government has brought in a series of initiatives to try to specifically address the needs of Canadians with a disability.

As I said, my colleague, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, has a report coming very shortly, which will outline even more advice to the government of what more we can do to help Canadians with a disability. We are going to continue to do even more.

[Persons with Disabilities, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this government has taken substantial efforts to encourage economic growth and substantial efforts to help those Canadians with a disability.

For example, just with respect to inequality, this government has an EI hiring tax credit, the third quarter project, a youth employment strategy, an apprenticeship incentive grant. The Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development has a substantial amount of work going on. A report on Canadians with disabilities will be coming to her in very short order. We are certainly prepared to continuously do more to help Canadians with disabilities.

[Employment, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have some good news for the leader of the NDP. Eight hundred and twenty thousand net new jobs have been created since the end of the recession. The better news is that 90% of those net new jobs are full-time jobs. That is a great start, but the job is not done. As long as there is one Canadian looking for work, the government will remain focused on job creation and economic growth.

When it comes to skills training, it is this government that has increased the transfers to provinces by 3% a year, something substantive and meaningful for job creation.

[Employment, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. Since the end of the global recession, over 800,000 new jobs have been created in Canada. We are very proud of that.

Our government has put an economic action plan, a plan for economic growth, before the House. That is our goal.

To date, nearly 400,000 new jobs have been created. Since the beginning of the global recession, the good news is that economic growth is on the way, and we will continue to work very hard on that.

[The Economy, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not first stand and extend our congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the announcement coming from Clarence House earlier today.

This government presented an economic action plan designed to build on the hundreds of thousands of new jobs that were created in the country. Before the House today, we have a number of very important issues which are being debated, such as extending the job-creating credit for small business, something that has helped hundreds of thousands of Canadians. We are expanding tax relief for investment in clean energy, among many things. Let us get the NDP on board.

[Foreign Affairs, November 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, let me at the outset acknowledge the leadership of my friend, the member for Don Valley West, on this issue.

We are disappointed with the Palestinian Authority's decision to bring the resolution forward. While we believe that the resolution will pass by a large margin, we are nonetheless going to vote against it and stand up for what we believe is right. Tomorrow, I will personally be in New York at the United Nations to speak to the issue and personally cast our vote against the resolution.

The position of the Government of Canada is shared by the Obama administration, which has very similar views to ours. We will continue to work with it and these two parties to get them back to the peace table to achieve true and lasting peace.

[Foreign Affairs, November 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP has once again come back to its roots and shown where it really stands when it comes to Israel.

A unilateral action, by going to the United Nations, violates more than seven different accords, seven different resolutions, at the United Nations. We believe that these parties should sit down at the negotiating table and negotiate a lasting peace deal. We are prepared to do anything we can to support that. What we will not support is a unilateral action by the Palestinian Authority at the United Nations. We will stand with the Jewish state. We will stand with the people of Israel.