Paul Martin

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member simply wants to take a look at what the government has done, the Minister of Human Resources Development has improved the employment insurance situation substantially to help the very workers she has talked about. We have brought the national child benefit to a record high. Our transfers to the provinces are at a record high. When we brought in indexation, we brought it in to help seniors and to help families with small children. The bulk of our tax cuts have gone to medium income families and low income families.

If anyone is short-sighted, it is perpetually the NDPers. Would they like to borrow my glasses?

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the concept of security is much broader than simply personal security. That is why the government has remained faithful to the historic transfer of health funding to the provinces: $2.8 will be transferred this year: over $3 billion will be transferred next year: and over $4 billion will be transferred the year after that.

At the same time we have doubled the amount of money going into the environment, with the municipalities, moneys that will fix up waterworks, clean air and make sure that the quality of life for Canadians constantly is improved.

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the vast majority of economists agree with us that our anticipated surplus will be the actual surplus.

However, if we are wrong and the surplus is larger than that, the money will be invested in infrastructures, in job creation. It will not be used to reduce the debt. This is the system that we put in place.

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, this is exactly what we did.

We earmarked $185 million to help aboriginals because of the fetal alcohol syndrome. We invested in infrastructures, in highways. We also allocated money to improve our border operations. We invested in affordable housing. We put money in all these areas to help Canadians and our efforts are paying off.

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to look at the stimulus in the economy this year. There the infrastructure program, which begins immediately, but there is also the affordable housing program, which is being implemented immediately, and the green municipal investment fund for sewers, which we have doubled. In addition, there is the new $2 billion structure for strategic infrastructure.

These are stimulating the economy.

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, when we look at the stimulus to the Canadian economy, the $17 billion reduction in income tax and $9 billion this year in new spending, we are looking at a figure of $26 billion, or 2.4% of our GDP.

No other G-7 country or industrialized country can claim such stimulus to its economy. We are doing this to create jobs.

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G-7 country not to be in deficit, the G-7 country with the largest debt paydown of any of them and the only country among all the industrial countries to have had a decline of 20% in its debt to GDP ratio.

The fact is that this government has managed the nation's finances well, which is why we have been able to come through this downturn as well as we have. That virtually is what every economist in the country has said today, the day after the budget.

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, over the course of the last four years we have paid down $35 billion worth of debt, $17 billion in the last year.

Canada has dropped its debt to GDP ratio more than any other G-7 country. We are the only G-7 country not to be in deficit this year.

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the defence budget is some $11 billion. Yesterday's budget added $1.2 billion to that. This means that over the course of the next five years the defence budget will go up by $7.2 billion.

Before the Alliance, or the Reform Party, try to claim an interest in defence, I remember that in 1993 in the House the Reform Party said that we should cut defence spending. In 1994, the Reform Party said that we should cut defence spending. In 1997, the Reform Party said that we should cut defence spending. In--

[The Budget, December 11th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition quotes Nancy Hughes Anthony. Allow me to give the full quote:

Canadian business can endorse large parts of this budget because it avoids a deficit while addressing security and border management problems. This budget recognizes that a functioning and efficient border with the United States is vital to the well-being of the Canadian economy.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce endorsed the budget.