Paul Martin

[Education, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite.

If the hon. member would care to take a look at the last budget, he will see that the government brought in substantial measures to help parents save for their children's education through RESPs. At the same time we brought in a whole new system of tax credits to enable students to have either their parents or other people help them pay for their tuition. We doubled the grace period which students would have to begin to pay back their student loans. Not only did we do that but we brought in a whole series—

[Government Spending, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we already began to provide tax relief of over $2 billion over a three year period in the last budget.

What Canadians have made very clear is that they do not want to see tax cuts paid for by a $3 billion reduction in old age pensions which is in the Reform platform, or from a $3.5 billion cut to health care which is in the Reform platform. Canadians do not want to see the social programs of this country gutted and eviscerated by a Reform Party which has no idea of what it is that makes this country work.

[Government Spending, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is from Alberta. I would have thought that he would have taken note of the Alberta growth summit in which Albertans said that their priorities were exactly the same as the government's, that is to say health care and education.

Yes, we have made it very clear that we do intend to reduce the debt. In fact in the last six or seven months we have reduced close to $13 billion of marketable debt.

[Deficit Reduction, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that these numbers are completely wrong. One thing that is clear, however, is that the province of Quebec has cut transfers to its municipalities by 6% compared to our 3% cut to provincial transfers, that is to say, Quebec has cut transfers to municipalities by twice as much as we cut transfers to the provinces.

[Deficit Reduction, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that there was a two-year gap between our first expenditure reductions and the reductions in transfers to the provinces. The member knows very well that tax points have to be considered and that the federal cuts have been much deeper than the provincial cuts.

He knows very well also that since we took office, we have reduced employment insurance premiums every year. He knows also that we have invested a lot of money in research and development, in job creation and in young people and that we will continue to make investments for the future of Canadians.

[Goods And Services Tax, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure I know what planet the leader of the NDP is on.

In terms of RRSPs the changes we have brought in such as the unlimited carryback are a clear benefit to low and to medium income Canadians.

At the same time the member should take a look at other tax changes from my colleague in human resources, the child tax benefit and the changes we have brought in for students, for parents who are saving for their students' education, and the changes we have brought in for the physically disabled.

That is precisely what we have done. I do not know where the leader of the NDP has been but it is clearly not in North America.

[Goods And Services Tax, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I met with the premier of Nova Scotia last week. We had an extensive discussion dealing with a great number of issues, all of which are under continued consideration.

[Environment, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, when the negotiations begin and when the government's position is outlined in clear detail then very clearly the costs and the ways of achieving it will be outlined.

What Canadians are really interested in is: Does the Reform Party have a position on this, or is its only position that of contradicting its own critic?

[Environment, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Reform Party has answered his own question. Industry may well speculate. The Reform Party may well speculate. The finance department does not speculate. The finance department deals with facts. It deals with a number of items that will have to be negotiated.

We are in the process of doing that, but we will not speculate, not even to please the leader of the Reform Party.

[Environment, November 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to respond to the leader of the Reform Party. This is the first time I have been asked a question by the Reform Party on the issue.

As the environment minister set out very clearly, she has not yet gone to Kyoto. The negotiations have not been completed. It is very difficult for one to estimate the final costs of an agreement that has been neither negotiated nor signed.