Mr. Speaker, what the government is doing is implementing the recommendations of the auditor general who, in 1986, told the previous government that it should consolidate the employment insurance fund in the government's consolidated fund.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 48% of the vote.
Budget Surplus November 18th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, what the government is doing is implementing the recommendations of the auditor general who, in 1986, told the previous government that it should consolidate the employment insurance fund in the government's consolidated fund.
Unemployment Insurance November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that we reduced EI premiums. We have done so every year.
He also knows that in the last budget the 400,000 people who we took off the tax rolls were the lowest income Canadians. At the same time, the tax cuts that we brought in benefited those earning salaries of less than $50,000. The national child tax benefit brought in by my colleague, the Minister of Human Resources Development, is directed toward poor families with children.
The fact is that the tax cuts we bring in are really dedicated to those who need them most.
Taxation November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the hon. member was not here for the last budget, but after we had eliminated the $42 billion deficit we immediately began to proceed to reduce taxes by $7 billion over the next three years. Four hundred thousand taxpayers have been eliminated from the tax rolls.
We very much hope that we can continue to do this.
Let there be no doubt about it, tax reduction is an important priority for this government, but, unlike the opposition, so is health care, so is education, so is research and development and so is the basic social fabric of the country.
Taxation November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, what happened in 1989 is that we were objecting to the increasing taxation as we headed into a period of recession, which is what the previous government did. Since that time obviously Canadians have suffered. Fortunately, if we take a look at what has happened, in 1996-97 family disposable income rose and the net worth of Canadians increased.
Finance November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is a member of the committee that read the Coopers & Lybrand letter. He knows that what we are dealing with is a judgment call and a judgment call that is perfectly within the government's capability.
What distresses me is that the hon. member, a member for whom I have a great deal of respect, again refers to the millennium fund as a slush fund. He knows full well that the costs of education are onerous for many students and it is a responsibility of all levels of government to help students pay for their education.
That is the way we will build a future. That is not a slush fund and I am sure the hon. member wishes he had—
Finance November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the government had taken a decision. There was a cabinet decision.
The institution in question was set up before the government's books were closed. I am sure the hon. member knows that the millennium scholarship fund is not a slush fund but in fact is a very important instrument to help students fund their education.
Finance November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, when we took office in 1993 one of the things we found was the reason that the deficit came out higher than it should have was that there were obligations that had not been reported by the government at that stage. We decided under those circumstances that we would be open and transparent as no other government has been. That is why we have done this and we will continue with that procedure.
Finance November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the accounting firms of Coopers & Lybrand as well as Ernst & Young have submitted letters. Letters from both of these firms were tabled in the public accounts committee stating that the procedures followed by the government were procedures followed by the private sector and were well within the judgment capabilities of the government to do.
Budget Surplus November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is contradicting the senior economist of the Mouvement Desjardins. He is contradicting the senior economist of the Bank of Commerce.
He is contradicting the vast majority of economists in Canada, who are advising us to remain cautious and who agree with our principles, which are to reduce the debt, lower taxes and invest in sectors of the future, including health.
Budget Surplus November 17th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, allow me to quote François Dupuis, the senior economist of the Mouvement Desjardins, who said “While the financial context has stabilized in recent days, we must not forget that the situation remains highly volatile. The presence of numerous risks, both from an economic and financial point of view, calls for continued caution”.
We are being cautious. The Bloc Quebecois wants to take us back to the days when we had a deficit.