Paul Martin

[Ways And Means, April 23rd, 2001]

moved that a ways and means motion relating to tobacco products, laid upon the table on Thursday, April 5, be concurred in.

[Ways And Means, April 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 83(1), I wish to table a notice of ways and means motion relating to tobacco products. I am also tabling explanatory notes.

I ask that an order of the day be designated for consideration of the motion.

[Tax Agreements, April 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, following the discussions at the OECD and other negotiations within the G-7, it is very clear that we must proceed multilaterally, not unilaterally.

This is Canada's position and that of all the other major countries. It is the only way to succeed in eliminating these harmful tax practices.

[Tax Agreements, April 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, first, the treaty with Barbados was ratified in 1980, long before I came into the picture.

That being said, Canada has been a leader in the movement to eliminate harmful tax practices. In this regard, Canada has been a leader among OECD countries. We are also taking the lead among the finance ministers of the western hemisphere and we will succeed in eliminating these practices.

[The Economy, April 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is wrong. If he is talking about productivity, our productivity growth is increasing. It began to increase in 1996 and 1997 after about a decade of falling, and it has turned around under this government.

If the hon. member is talking about economic growth, well, my God, we are projected to have much stronger growth this year than the United States. Over the course of the last four years we have created virtually twice the number of jobs as the United States.

The only rate of growth that is steadily declining is the popularity of the Alliance Party.

[The Economy, April 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the first step would probably be to simply illuminate the hon. member as to the real facts.

The fact is that our productivity began to increase in 1997, not decrease. If the member wants further indicators, our national net worth is now at an all time high. Our personal disposable income is on the increase.

The fact is that Canadians are doing better. The hon. member is wrong.

[The Economy, April 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the provincial treasurer of the time, now the current Leader of the Opposition, called:

—the fall on the dollar good news for Alberta...it makes Alberta products more competitive on the U.S. market..it helps our manufacturing and export sector.

That was a quote from the Leader of the Opposition. What kind of question is that? Who is he trying to fool and why?

[The Economy, April 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is incumbent upon opposition members to be somewhat consistent in their statements. I would like to quote from the Edmonton Journal dated June 17, 1998:

Provincial Treasurer Stockwell Day called the fall on the Canadian dollar—

[The Economy, April 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's facts are simply wrong. Since 1997 Canada's productivity has been on the increase. It has been on the increase because of the measures taken by Canadian industry and by the government.

The fact is that if we look at the other statistics, whether it be personal disposable income or employment, in virtually all the indicators Canada is doing much better than the vast majority of other countries.

Are we being affected by the slowdown? Yes, we are, but we are in better shape to weather that slowdown than we have been in decades.

[Virtual Parliament, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member was suggesting in his letter—and I congratulate him on that—as did a number of Liberal members who made the exact same comments, was an ongoing process.

We are not talking about going from one summit to the next, but about an ongoing process. Everyone on our side agrees that greater co-operation is necessary between parliamentarians from all over the world to truly improve the globalization process.