Paul Martin

[Municipalities, February 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, if we take the example of the infrastructure program, we are already working with municipalities; we are doing so with the consent of the provinces. There are other examples. In the case of the green municipal investment fund, we do this directly. It is the same thing in the case of the homeless.

There are numerous examples where the various levels of government can work together for the well-being of Canadians.

[Canadian Currency, February 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the hon. member noticed. As I have said, the Bank of Canada is obviously seeking different technologies around the world. Those technologies may be sourced abroad but the fact is that our currency will be printed in Canada.

[Canadian Currency, February 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, as is its responsibility the Bank of Canada is always seeking bills which are the least susceptible to counterfeiting. It is looking at a wide range of sources. I can assure the hon. member that the currency will be printed in Canada.

[Taxation, February 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is not the one who needs a course, it is the Bloc critic.

In 1999, Quebec's total revenues were $16 billion more than the Canadian government's tax receipts from Quebec.

[Taxation, February 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the figures the hon. member has quoted predate the tax abatement. Taking the abatement into consideration, Quebec collects more in taxes than the Canadian government.

[The Economy, February 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the government has pointed out on many occasions that throughout a good portion of the 1980s and the early part of the 1990s Canada's economy did slip. We have also pointed out that beginning with the middle 1990s there has been a dramatic turnaround, in fact a far more substantial turnaround than any other OECD country has been able to demonstrate. We are going to continue on that course.

[Poverty, February 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Brampton Centre who has had a long interest in this subject.

Certainly one of the major obstacles, and we know this on behalf of Canadian farmers, is there are hundreds of millions of people living on less than $1 a day in the poorest countries of the world who are faced with massive agricultural subsidies in the United States, France and Europe which are preventing them from exporting their goods.

The fact is at the present time there is five times as much money spent on agricultural subsidies in those countries as there is on overseas development assistance, and that is just fundamentally wrong.

On the other hand, one of the highlights was the Prime Minister's plan for Africa which was received overwhelmingly by the entire world economic forum.

[Budget Surpluses, February 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I have already assured the House, and I am doing so again, that the goals and objectives of the foundation are exactly the same as those of the fund. The financial commitments are there. The government is prepared to meet with the municipalities and the provinces to discuss it so that construction projects can begin as soon as possible.

[Budget Surpluses, February 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite were able to read the monthly documents produced by the government, he would see that the surpluses are clearly shrinking. This is not necessarily good news, but it is the reality, given the recession in the United States and the global economic downturn. This has an impact on the Government of Canada's revenues and on the Canadian economy.

[Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, February 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the statement about the speculation is simply not true. Second, the fact is we are waiting for the auditor general to complete her verification. We have asked if independent auditors would like to come in and look at the situation to make sure it is done in an open and transparent way.

I will be meeting with the provinces on the matter and it will be resolved. It will be resolved in a way that is fair to all provinces and all Canadian taxpayers.