Paul Martin

[Taxation, October 18th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I guess Canadians should believe the government because we know the facts and the hon. member obviously does not.

Real disposable incomes in Canada have not only stabilized but now for the first time in over a decade they are beginning to rise. The hon. member is wrong. Unemployment in the country is now at its lowest level in over 10 years.

If the hon. member would like to see a perspective on the Canadian economy and the net result of what the government has done, I would simply ask him to look at the Royal Bank report which came out today. It basically says that the country is cooking on all cylinders.

[Taxation, October 18th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, once again the hon. member simply does not know the facts. With the tax cuts of the government over the course of the next three years we have more than covered inflation or bracket creep. Those are real tax cuts on top of that.

The real issue before the Canadian people is not the bogus arithmetic of the Reform Party. It is why does it not come up with a plan Canadians can believe in, one that does not hide an agenda and is not opposite to the basic values of Canadians.

[Taxation, October 18th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the preamble to the hon. member's question is totally false. We will be starting the new millennium with tax cuts.

However let us deal with the issue of the Canada pension plan. It is under the joint stewardship of the provinces and the federal government. The provinces and the federal government came together and decided to preserve the Canada pension plan for countless generations to come.

The issue before the Canadian people is what the Reform Party has against the Canada pension plan. Why does it want to see it disappear and why did it vote against it?

[Taxation, October 15th, 1999]

Yes, Mr. Speaker, approximately $4 billion this year, $16.5 billion over the next three years, the most significant tax cuts the country has seen in over a decade. That is the answer.

[Taxation, October 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, again the hon. member ought to check his facts. The fact is we have cut unemployment insurance premiums by $4 billion. That affects small business immediately. We have put money into the small business loans program. We had a team Canada mission helping small business export across the country.

The fact is that the government recognizes that small business is the major job creator in the country and we have supported it to the hilt.

I will go back. The hon. member says that I do not answer questions. Why did he not answer the question on why the Reform Party opposed the national child tax benefit?

[Taxation, October 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is obviously not aware of the national child tax benefit by which the government put untold millions of dollars into the hands of families. It was precisely for middle income families. We do recognize the costs incurred by those who have to raise children. Children are the future of our country.

The real issue is why the Reform opposed the national child tax benefit. That is the main issue.

[Speech From The Throne, October 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have told the member a million times not to exaggerate.

This is a question of credibility. The fact is that the Reform Party has no credibility. Its tax plan in the third year would require a surplus of $52 billion. That is smoke and mirrors. Until such time as the Reform Party gives the Canadian people a plan that is based on solid facts it will have no credibility in this debate.

[Speech From The Throne, October 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that on January 1, as indeed on January 1 of every year since we have taken office, there will be a reduction in payroll taxes.

I would also like to remind the hon. member that yesterday's throne speech was not a budget in which we deal with taxes but it did provide a profound vista on the government's plan for the future, one that has been universally well received right across the country. It is a perspective that says we will invest in education, we will invest in social programs, and that—

[Kyoto, June 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, it is the government's position that we must, at the same time, create a strong economy, create jobs and protect the environment. That is why in the 1997 budget the government increased direct financial support for energy efficiency and for renewable energy. It is also why in the 1998 budget the government moved to narrow the gap between renewables and non-renewables by extending the benefits to the extent of $150 million for renewable energy projects.

It is also why throughout its budgets the government has extended funding for environmental technologies and why we will continue in that vein.

[Kosovo, June 3rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this is a matter certainly upon which my colleague can respond.

I can say that at the most recent meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank with all of the finance ministers, this whole question of reconstruction was looked at. At present they are obviously not in a position to estimate the total costs nor the amount of human suffering that will obviously have to be dealt with, but I can tell the hon. member that the international community is active on the file.