Paul Martin

[Job Creation, May 13th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is absolutely right. Canadian people do not need the kind of empty rhetoric we have heard coming from the NDP.

In the most recent budget this government brought in the most comprehensive set of measures possible providing access to education. What the census numbers demonstrated was there were jobs lost where people did not have education and there were jobs created where they did. That is why I ask the hon. member to ask her leader why, the day after the budget, on Canada AM she said education does not create jobs. She is wrong.

[Taxation, May 13th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, what the numbers cited by the hon. member demonstrate is that when this party was in opposition the recession from 1989 to 1993 was one of the deepest and most severe this country has ever gone through. As a result, when we took office we vowed to put in place policies that would reverse that trend.

I am glad to say that in 1995-1996 that trend was reversed. Canada is now on the road to prosperity and Census Canada and Statistics Canada have said that.

[Poverty, May 13th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member kept up with matters he would realize that we have made targeted reductions to help single parent families, poor children, parents saving for their children's education and persons with disabilities.

We have cut taxes by over $7 billion, which will help poor families and the middle class in Canada.

[Taxation, May 12th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the high tax policy in this country was established by the previous government.

Since we have taken office we have brought in a series of targeted tax reductions. In the last budget I am delighted to announce that we were able to take off the 3% surtax imposed by the Conservative government for 83% of Canadians.

[Poverty, May 12th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we have said repeatedly that we do support the principle of community banks. In fact, this is one of the reasons why we referred the issue to the MacKay task force. We are anxiously awaiting its recommendations, in September.

[Taxation, May 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, first of all be very clear that the Ontario government has reduced taxes and it still has a deficit. That is in exact contradiction to the Reform Party policy.

We are entitled in the House to a certain degree of coherence and consistency. Does the hon. member support what they did or not?

Let us understand that most economists have said the reason that Ontario was able to lower taxes was interest rates have come down, economic activity has gone up and they have given credit to this government.

[Taxation, May 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, in the last federal budget 83% of Ontarians received an income tax reduction. At the same time Ontarians of all classes, students and single mothers also received special tax credits. In fact it is one of the most substantial tax reductions in Canadian budgets for a long time.

I would put to the finance critic that the Reform Party's position is that no tax reduction should come until the deficit has been eliminated. Is it now swallowing itself whole in supporting the Ontario government?

[Banking, May 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we have made it very clear that there will be full public hearings following the submission of the MacKay task force.

I understand that the hon. member has to go to Ralph Nader and American sources for information. If she would like to hear Canadian sources she might like to come tonight when the Liberal caucus task force is having public hearings.

[Banking, May 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the numbers that the leader of the NDP has brought forth apparently having just discovered them are ones that have been available to this House for quite some time. In fact it was the industry committee under the chairmanship of the Liberal Party and it was the Liberal task force on the mergers that have for some time not only debated these issues but brought them out.

The hon. member is absolutely right in citing these numbers. I just wish that she had understood that these numbers are about two years old.

[Taxation, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the answer to that question has not changed since I responded to his colleague about a month ago. The fact is that woodlot owners who are in normal business have all the rights of normal business people and can obviously take those kinds of deductions and amortizations provided they are in business.