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Taxation March 15th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, as I have just said, the Minister of Finance is open to discussing these things.
However, as he has more than once said, the conclusion that there is fiscal imbalance is not at all correct for the first four or five years because the federal surplus will be less than the contingency fund. Therefore, projections over 20 years are worthless.
Taxation March 15th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, as the minister said yesterday, the government is always open to talking with the minister's counterparts about matters of interest to them.
As for the fiscal imbalance, it is not just that these projections over 20 years are hypothetical; it is worse than that. Projections over two years are difficult, those over five are almost impossible, and those over 20 are ridiculous.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, the costs are not wholly borne by users. They pay $2.2 billion of the total of $7.7 billion, or 30% of the costs.
It seems to us reasonable that users pay 30% of the costs; this is not the entire cost.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I believe 89 airports have security processes and they are the ones subject to this charge. If one is flying from a small airport in the north to another small airport in the north which do not have those security services, then one does not pay the charge.
The list of airports affected is a dynamic, ongoing list. If there are additions or subtractions to the security services at any given airport, it will be reflected in changes to the list going forward.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, there is less than a year between now and the fall so there is a possibility of adjustment in less than a year. I would defend the $12 fixed amount on grounds of equity principally because the cost of this additional security is not a function of the price of the ticket and it is not a function of the length of the flight. The security cost is as great for Victoria to Vancouver as for Victoria to St. John's, so it is fair.
I take the member's point that the impact may be greater on the short haul flights because it is a larger percentage of the total ticket. However it is still equitable to allocate the charge according to where the actual costs are incurred which is what this measure does.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, with respect to the hon. member's first question, I believe the budget announced $7.7 billion for security over a period of five years.
The second question was of a technical nature regarding the woodlot owners. I do not have all the answers to that question but I will get back to the member as soon as I can.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, we are not overtaxing given the information we have at this time. The point the hon. member and the newspaper article fail to grasp is that the number of emplanements is not the same as the number of $12 charges. Some people flying from A to B to C will pay only $12 but when they fly from A to B and then from B to C that will be two emplanements. In calculating the number of emplanements we reduced the gross total by 25% to allow for these flights from A to B to C. That was the logic.
As I have said a hundred times by now, if air travel proves to be stronger than thought at the time it will be cause for celebration because the economy will be improving faster than we had believed. Should that be the case, at the appropriate time the government has the authority to lower the charge.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I am very comfortable with the role the Prime Minister's Office has been playing in the matter. The government takes seriously the recommendations of committees, but committee recommendations are not necessarily the final word because ultimately in a democracy a government has a responsibility to govern. In the relatively few cases where the government disagrees with a committee's recommendations it is entirely appropriate for the government to govern in the House of Commons, as is happening in this case.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the government is not in the business of double paying. Apart from that I did not hear any question in the hon. member's statement.
Budget Implementation Act, 2001 March 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, it is the Liberal government that is forward looking. It is the Canadian Alliance that is mired in the old fashioned ideas of the 1950s and 1850s.
The hon. member displays his usual lamentable ignorance about the facts of the matter. The essential need is to establish the new Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. The intent is to have it established by April 1. We can then move as fast as possible to bring in the enhanced security measures. Every day of delay beyond April 1 is a delay in bringing in the enhanced security measures Canadians need for security and to restore confidence. That is the essential reason for the need for speed.