Paul Martin

[The Budget, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to take this occasion to remind the House about seven measures which were in the budget in terms of student debt.

I want to thank the Prime Minister for the millennium scholarship foundation and the $3,000 a year for over 100,000 Canadian students. In the same budget there is a $3,000 grant to single parents who want to go back to school. In the same budget there is a 17% tax credit for those who have student debts. In the same budget there is a series of measures to allow for either reduction in debt, forgiveness of interest or a reduction in principal.

In fact I would like—

[Taxation, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, in the last budget 400,000 Canadians were taken off the tax rolls. The person who was just referred to will have received a substantial decrease in her income taxes. At the same time, if she chooses to go back to school she will find a $3,000 government grant which will help her to do so.

In fact we have brought in a balanced approach precisely to help people like the young women to whom he referred.

[Banks, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, if there is any political party that needs the MacKay task force it will obviously be the NDP for these public hearings.

I would like to take advantage of the hon. member's question to thank the Liberal Party caucus task force, all of whom are elected, all of whom have gone across the country and have met with all segments of society.

There is no doubt that when the debate takes place in the months of September, October and November, Liberal Party members of parliament will be the best prepared of any in the House.

[Banks, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, what does the hon. member have against a parliamentary hearing so that Canadians can participate in the discussion? What does the hon. member have against waiting for the MacKay task force, the most fundamental and comprehensive report that has ever been done?

What the hon. member is asking for is no public debate, no enlightenment and no giving to Canadians an opportunity to pronounce on the most important financial resectoring in the country. What they simply want to do is envelope themselves in the cocoon they have been in since the 1930s.

[Taxation, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, does the hon. member think that the 83% of Canadians, those earning below $50,000 who had their income tax reduced, are not Canadian families? The 400,000 Canadians struck from the tax rolls, are they not Canadian families? The volume of residential building permits increased in March, up 12%. Are they not houses that are being built for families? Mortgage rates are down. Does that not benefit families? Everything this government does has benefited Canadian families. That is why there is so much optimism.

[Taxation, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, first of all I did answer the question in terms of the spousal credit which of course is available to single income families. The real problem is why would I ever think the Reform Party would have any interest in asking a question about low income families?

[Taxation, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I just have. What I basically said to the hon. member was that in the same budget he is referring to, the child tax benefit was doubled. Another $850 million is going directly to families with low incomes and children. That is the kind of thing we are going to continue to do.

[Taxation, May 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, surely the hon. member knows that there is a spousal credit already built into the system. There are benefits provided through the income tax system for families where only one parent is working. At the same time, my colleague the Minister of Human Resources Development put a second $850 million into the child tax benefit. The purpose of that is to help those families with low incomes and children at home.

[Banking Services, April 23rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is an important one. Moreover, it is an excellent example of why we have struck a committee to look into the future of the financial services sector.

I can assure you that we are going to take the necessary steps to guarantee that this matter will be settled properly. It is very important, and the government has made it perfectly clear that access to quality financial services in Canada's rural and outlying areas is of critical importance for the government.

[Book Industry, April 23rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, in the past two years, we have put subsidies in place to support literacy in Canada and help Canadians learn to read.

If provinces, for instance the Atlantic provinces, want to reduce the tax on books, they have a right to do so.

The tax on books was imposed by the previous government, but that money is being used to help Canadians learn to read.