Kevin Sorenson

[Employment Insurance, October 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the opposition should listen to the groups that actually create the jobs. Those are groups like the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The small business job credit, it says, will create 25,000 person-years of employment.

I will quote the federation. It said:

This...is fantastic news for Canada’s entrepreneurs and their employees, and as such, can only be a positive for the Canadian economy.

Our small business job credit will lower EI premiums by 15% and save small businesses over $550 million.

While we are keeping payroll taxes down, they are—

[Finance, October 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member for Wascana to wait patiently. As we travel across this country, we will be consulting with Canadians as to what goes in next year's budget bill, but there is one thing we can be certain of. With all the good measures we bring forward to help lower taxes, to create jobs, and to increase skills development, we can be certain that the opposition will continue, as in the past, to vote against all those measures.

[The Economy, October 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is on track for a balanced budget. Last year's deficit was roughly $5.2 billion, much better than previously forecast. It is great news for Canadians. Yesterday the IMF projected Canada to be one of the strongest growing economies in the years ahead. Today the Fraser Institute ranked Canada among the most economically free countries in the world.

Canadians know they are better off with this Conservative government.

[Pensions, October 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, today I was pleased to announce that five companies have been approved to provide federal pooled registered pension plans. This is a major milestone toward offering an attractive new retirement savings option for those millions of Canadians who do not have a workplace pension plan. I would like to encourage the provinces, such as Ontario, to bring forward the necessary legislation so that all Canadians can benefit from this new pension plan.

Canadian seniors and pensioners, all Canadians, can rest assured that we are standing up for them.

[Taxation, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as our Prime Minister has said, income splitting was a good policy for Canadian seniors and it will be good policy for Canadian families.

The Liberal leader should explain why he has pledged to reverse income splitting. Seniors across the country are saving thousands of dollars each year thanks to pension income splitting. This type of Liberal Party arrogance toward middle-class families and seniors is becoming all too familiar.

[The Economy, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, spending billions of dollars that one does not have does not balance budgets. Canadians, and this side of the House, know that it only creates large, unsustainable deficits.

On the other hand, with balanced budgets, the debt-to-GDP ratio will fall as GDP rises. That is just a mathematical fact. Therefore, allow me to confirm for the Liberal leader what every Canadian knows: budgets do not balance themselves.

[Finance, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, again, Canadians know they are better off with this Conservative government. No government in Canadian history has provided more funding to the provinces for health care, and it continues to grow.

We are committed to a publicly funded, universally accessible health care system. We all use the health care system. We want to see a strong, sustainable health care system that is there for Canadians when they need it.

[Finance, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, no government in Canadian history has provided more funding to the provinces for health care, and it continues to grow.

Unlike the old Liberal government that cut funding, we have increased health care transfers to the provinces and territories by nearly 60% to all-time record levels. Under our government, health care transfers have risen from over $20 billion when we formed government to $32 billion this year. It continues to grow.

[Small Business, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as a recent report by RBC notes, the number of small and mid-size firms in Canada reached a record high in 2012.

We are supporting job creators, not handcuffing them with increasing payroll taxes. That is precisely why our new small business job credit would lower EI payroll taxes by 15% and save small business over $550 million.

Small businesses and the eight million Canadians they employ can continue to count on this government.

[The Economy, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, again, StatsCan has confirmed that families are better off under the Conservative government than under all previous Liberal governments. Median net worth for Canadians has increased by 45% since we took office. Canadian families in all income groups have seen increases of about 10% in their take-home pay. The lowest-income families have seen an increase of 14%.

Despite the Liberal leader's on-the-fly promise to reverse our tax cuts, the government will continue to keep taxes low for Canadians.