Mr. Speaker, we have very clearly expressed our intention to use surpluses to reduce taxes and the national debt and to invest in areas where Canadians have the greatest needs.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 48% of the vote.
Budget Surplus December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, we have very clearly expressed our intention to use surpluses to reduce taxes and the national debt and to invest in areas where Canadians have the greatest needs.
Budget Surplus December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, prebudget consultations were held in every province of the country. My colleague, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, indicated that there had been an election in which the anticipated surplus was certainly discussed. It should be pointed out that, when I met with my finance counterparts this week, the use to be made of these surpluses was discussed.
We are working in perfect co-operation with the provinces.
Federal-Provincial Relations December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, we already cut EI premiums this year by $1.4 billion. Let me simply say to the hon. member that for the 10 years the Conservative government was in power the provinces asked if there could be shared co-operation in the administration of the tax system. Year after year the Conservatives said “we won't co-operate”.
My colleague, the Minister of National Revenue, and I met with the provinces and we are putting in place a new era. The minister of finance from Alberta stood up in the Alberta House and said that he was delighted to see the way in which the federal government was working with the provinces.
Fiscal Dividend December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the role of the Canadian government is to protect the national interest and it is our intention to do so.
Fiscal Dividend December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about unanimity. When we look at the initiative of the Minister of Human Resources Development with respect to the national child benefit, the provinces were certainly all for that. When we look at the infrastructure program, that was at the request of the provinces.
So, if the member wants to talk about unanimity, he should have been with me at the meeting of finance ministers. He would have seen that the priorities of the Canadian government, the priorities of the provinces, and the priorities of Canadians are the same: child poverty, health, training, human resources, research and development. The priority is to build the future.
Fiscal Dividend December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois has only to look at the areas in which we have invested. The first thing the government did was to put $1.5 billion into the Canada social transfer, and it did so at the request of the provinces. We invested $850 million, to be matched by a similar amount in a second stage, according to the Minister of Human Resources Development, at the request of the provinces. We invested in infrastructures at the request of the provinces.
A look at what the Canadian government has done—
Taxation December 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, let us understand what the Reform Party would have done if it had cut taxes two years ago.
Ask any one of those Canadians who are writing in if they wanted to see their health care cut by the $3.5 billion the Reform Party said it would do. Ask Canadians who are over the age 65 if they are prepared to accept a $3 billion cut in their old age pensions, because that is what the Reform Party would do. If these people live in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, ask them if they are prepared to see their basic services cut because the Reform Party would cut $3 billion. That is how it would cut taxes.
Taxation December 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party continues to come back to the same point despite the fact that it is in flagrant contradiction with its own party program.
The simple fact is that no matter how many examples the Reform Party wants to cite, we have already begun to reduce personal income taxes. The Reform Party opposed it when we did it for students and for poor families. The Reform Party's program is that it will not reduce taxes until such time as the deficit is eliminated. Why does it now stand up and pretend otherwise?
Taxation December 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, if Alice is indeed watching this, then what she is entitled to know is why the Reform Party opposed the tax reductions this government brought in in the last budget. Why has the Reform Party as part of its program said it would not reduce taxes until the deficit was eliminated.
I also do not think that Alice or any other Canadian who watched the Reform Party during the first mandate try to eviscerate every social program in this country in the guise of deficit reduction believes the Reform Party cares a whit about low income Canadians.
Taxation December 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, this government has already made very clear its desire not only to reduce taxes but the fact that it has already begun to do so.
The position of the Reform Party has been, and I would ask the hon. member if he is prepared to confirm it, that it did not want to reduce taxes until such time as the deficit has been eliminated. The deficit has not been eliminated. Therefore I suggest that the member himself might want to answer that question.