House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 48% of the vote.
Health Care November 24th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely incredible to hear the hon. member from the Reform Party speak to us of health care when, year after year of their first mandate, their recommendations were to cut, to slash health expenditures. But we refused.
Moreover, the first thing we did when we saw the deficit had been eliminated was to restore in excess of $7 billion to health care, over a five-year period.
Health Care November 23rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, first, since we have taken office the tax points allocated to the provinces have increased substantially in value.
Second, in the budget last year we increased the transfers by $7 billion over the next five years.
At the same time equalization for seven provinces to provide fundamental services has been increased.
In every single budget we have increased research and development funding for medical services. Last year it virtually doubled.
We have put in place transition funds.
This government, which is the government that brought in the Canada Health Act, stands behind the Canada Health Act.
Finance November 19th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the Progressive Conservative Party is very good at setting up plans. It has had a lot of experience. It set one up every six months. The difference is that they never kept them.
The deficit, every single year, kept creeping up. Time after time the minister of finance would stand in this House and apologize. He would say “I have a new plan”. The next thing would be that that plan would be blown and he would have a new plan. Then he would have a new plan.
They planned this country into a $42 billion deficit and we eliminated it.
Health Care November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has already answered. In the last budget we increased transfers to the provinces primarily for health care by $1.5 billion. After we had done that, the Reform Party then came out and said that $3.5 billion should be taken out of the CHST.
If we want to look at Reform's real agenda, look at what it said in its taxpayer's budget in addition to that. It would take $3 billion out of old age pensions. It would take—
Health Care November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party today is saying that it would devote the $10 billion surplus entirely to health care.
Two days ago the leader of the Reform Party said he would devote 100% of the surplus to tax cuts. Three weeks ago he would devote it to debt reduction. The only thing Reform has has not promised to do is use the surplus to pay for the wallpaper at Stornoway.
Taxation November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, if I understood the hon. member correctly, he just said the government is using the GST to help pay off the deficit.
When the Conservatives introduced the GST they said it was to reduce the deficit. They set up a deficit reduction plan.
What we are doing is what his government set up. He is now objecting to it and I can understand why he would object to what his government had set up. But the big difference is that they clucked about it and we eliminated it.
Taxation November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member knows that the net worth of Canadians has increased year after year under this government. The Canadian standard of living has also increased substantially under this government. We did bring taxes down, $7 billion over the next three years in the last budget, and we will continue to do that. What we are doing is coming down from the mountain of taxes created by the previous government.
Budget Surplus November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, last year, we reduced contributions by $1.5 billion. That may not be a lot of money to the Bloc, but it is a huge amount to Canadians.
As a result, over the first 10 months of 1998, 321,000 new jobs were created. Planned investments, housing starts and all Canadian economic indicators point to an upswing. Things are fine in Canada.
Budget Surplus November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I have just answered. We intend to lower contributions, to lower taxes, to lower the debt and to invest in the sectors of the future, to build a growth economy—the economy that last month created over 51,000 new jobs.
Budget Surplus November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, since we took office, we have lowered employment insurance premiums every year. It is our intention to continue to do so in the future, and also to reduce taxes for Canada's middle class and invest in growth sectors.