Paul Martin

[The Economy, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is caught in a time warp. Take a look. He started in 1979. He ought to get with it.

Since 1996-97 our productivity has been on the increase, employment has been on the increase and Canadians have been on the increase. There is only one thing declining now and that is the Reform Party's popularity.

[The Economy, March 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the facts as cited by the Reform Party are just simply wrong. The fact is that Canada did have declining productivity, which had begun some 20 years ago.

Let us look at the facts. In 1997 Canada's productivity rose 2.9%, the highest since 1984 and twice that of the United States. Those are the facts.

[Taxation, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, measures have been put in place over the course of the last number of years. The government has moved to close those loopholes that allow Canadian companies that ought to be paying taxes not to pay them. We are one of the leaders in this area. At the same time we have led with the OECD because it will be required that all countries act in concert.

[The Economy, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows, first of all, that in the last two budgets we have indeed lowered taxes.

The hon. member knows that in fact we have the third lowest corporate taxes of any of the G-7 countries.

The hon. member also knows that in the KPMG study the industries that were looked at were high tech industries, high value industries and the pharmaceutical industries; all industries which have grown and were spawned as a result of the government's research and development policies. That is why they have done well.

[The Economy, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I feel very good about selling Canadian products.

I would simply ask the hon. member, when the Canadian dollar was under pressure last summer, if he is sincere in his concern, why did his leader—not in the House, not anywhere in Canada, but outside Canada—go through Asia knocking Canada and knocking the Canadian dollar?

The fact is that if members of the Reform Party are sincere, the next time they might ask their leader to stay home.

[Investment, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party seems to have some difficulty finding good things to say about its country. We have the third lowest corporate income tax rate for manufacturing in the G-7. It is lower than in the United States. We have the lowest cost for transportation and electricity in the G-7. We have the lowest initial investment cost for setting up a new facility. If the Reform Party were not so bound and determined to knock its country, it would start looking at the real facts of the matter.

[Investment, March 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, anybody who has read the study knows that there was a long list far more extensive and far more profound than the points the hon. member has raised.

The real issue is why is it that when a non-partisan study comes out, a study that shows that Canada is doing well, the Reform Party cannot support it? Why is it that it feels it is its only job in life to knock the country, like last summer when the dollar was under pressure and the leader of the Reform Party went through Asia saying to the rest of the world that Canada was not doing well? Why can it not be—

[Taxation, March 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member will note that in the same article what Mr. Desmarais said was that he was going to stay in Canada and that he was going to pay his taxes in Canada because he recognizes that it is those taxes, the taxes of all Canadians, which pay for our health care and education.

The hon. member talked about good sense rubbing off. I would rather have something bigger than simply cents rub off.

[Taxation, March 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we made it very clear that we were going to bring down the tax burden in this country and we have, by $16.5 billion over the course of the next three years.

We also said that we would move right up the income scale, but that we would begin with those who need it most, low income Canadians, and then we would do it for middle income Canadians. That is what we have done.

However, I am prepared to admit that as we move up the income scale it may take us a long time to get to Paul Desmarais.

[Points Of Order, March 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday members of the party opposite asked if I could table certain documents from which my notes had been taken. I would like to table those documents if I might.