Paul Martin

[Canadian Tourism Commission Act, March 18th, 1999]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-75, an act to establish the Canadian Tourism Commission.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Productivity, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, this is obviously an old report. It dates back to the 1980s and very early 1990s.

This is exactly why the government has invested in research and development, for example $1.8 billion this year. This is why we have created the Canadian foundation for innovation. This is why we have put so much money into medical research. This was precisely in response to that OECD report, which is now out of date with the Canadian reality.

[Productivity, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is a bit hard to grasp.

Looking at the latest budget, one sees that there has been a substantial increase in research and development, as there was in the previous budget. From the productivity figures, it can be seen that Canada is on the right track.

The preamble leading up to the member's question does not hold up, therefore.

[The Economy, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to remind the member from the Brazil party what the government has done to improve the productivity of the nation.

If she would sit down and work with the government instead of working with other governments, there is a great deal more we might be able to do.

[The Economy, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I have just gone through a list, and I could do it again, of a number of measures the government has brought forward to help the country improve its productivity. There is one issue that really does stand before—

[The Economy, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the reason the opposition will never be able to capture this issue is that it has come to it too late. The government began to address it immediately. That is why we eliminated the $42 billion deficit. That is why we have invested in education. That is why we have invested in research and development. That is why we have invested in the future of the country.

The fact is that just because the Reform Party has only woken up to smell the roses does not mean the Canadian people and the Canadian government have not been working in concert on the very issue.

[The Economy, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Industry was doing was in fact quoting from a series of projections that arose out of the 1980s.

Our productivity growth in the 1990s is substantially higher than what it was in the 1980s. Our manufacturing productivity in the 1990s is much higher than it was the 1980s. Last year it was higher than that of the United States. Those are the facts.

[The Economy, March 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is real disposable income in Canada is up. It went up this year and was up last year.

As I said yesterday, the Reform Party is caught in a time warp. Reformers are quoting statistics over the course of a decade, most of which when the Tories were in power. The fact is we turned it around.

[Employment Insurance, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, because this was how it was set up at the very beginning.

But I again repeat that the member is well aware that the Canadian government guarantees these payments and, when the fund is in the red, as it has been for 11 of the last 17 years, it is the Canadian government that assumes the load.

[Employment Insurance, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that the government rolled the EI fund into the government's consolidated revenue fund in 1986 at the request of the auditor general. It was done at his request and we are following his rules.

At the same time, the member is also well aware that the Canadian government guarantees the money in this fund.