Peter Van Loan

[Foreign Affairs, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our foreign policy is a values-based foreign policy based on those fundamental values we share of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, values we seek to promote around the world, values that we have promoted through our participation in a United Nations-sanctioned mission in Afghanistan, where we have helped to advance those values that we have delivered on, and a United Nations-sanctioned mission in Libya led by a Canadian, Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard.

We will continue to work to see that those values are advanced at every opportunity, including trying to see them more advanced at the United Nations.

[The Economy, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Liberal Party is wrong.

The reality is that the biggest increase in transfers to the provinces in my lifetime, and perhaps in his as well, has come under this government.

It is an example of the commitment to strengthening our federation that we have seen the biggest increase in transfers to the provinces. We have delivered on our commitment, and we have also done it in a way that allows us to deliver a balanced budget.

When Liberals look for a way to balance the budget, what do they do? They slash transfers to the provinces. I think he remembers that from when he was an NDP premier.

[The Economy, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister has been talking about in Europe is Canada's approach to fiscal management, to economic discipline, to achieving balanced budgets, to achieving job creation and economic growth by adopting those measures. That is what we are doing through our economic action plan 2012.

We have an opportunity in this House to vote on things like a tax credit for the creation of jobs by small businesses. That is something that is important to help add to our 750,000 net new jobs.

Why does the leader of the third party oppose a measure like that to create new jobs?

[The Economy, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister travels abroad, people talk to him about Canada's economic success, the fact that we have the lowest debt of any of the major developed economies, the fact that we have posted the strongest economic growth and job growth of those economies coming out of the economic downturn. They look at us and ask what our key to success is. The reason is we have been pursuing a planned economic action plan and now economic action plan 2012 that delivers new jobs.

When we go abroad we talk about the ways to balance budgets and create jobs. When those members go abroad, they talk about how to kill Canadian jobs in our important resource sector.

[The Economy, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister indicated yesterday, our government's economic policies make Canada a stable country, one of the pillars of the struggling global economy.

Canada is not immune to the problems other countries are experiencing, and we are working on taking additional steps to implement Canada's economic action plan and its job creation measures. Through this action plan, we have created 650,000 new jobs to date, and we intend to continue working to create new jobs for Canadians.

[The Economy, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister articulated well, Canada's economic policies have helped make Canada an island of economic stability in a world that is troubled on that front. We are not immune to those problems. That is why we have taken measures through our economic action plan, including economic action plan 2012.

The Leader of the Opposition asked where the plan is. That is where the plan is. It is a plan for short-, medium-and long-term prosperity to ensure that the unique advantages Canada has are harnessed to create jobs for Canadians and to ensure our prosperity and economic security in the short and long term.

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

moved:

That this Committee take note of the ongoing violence in Syria.

[Ministerial Expenditures, June 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP plan is that Canada should not be there on the world stage, that we should not be meeting with potential investors, that we should not be telling Canada's economic success story.

The fact is that our number one priority is jobs and the economy. That is why we will continue to promote Canada's success on the world stage and that is why we will ensure that those who are looking to invest and create jobs know that Canada is the best place in the world to do that.

[Ministerial Expenditures, June 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP is revealing its plan here. Its plan is that Canada should not be there attracting investment on the world—

[Ministerial Expenditures, June 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in terms of the vehicles that were utilized in Davos, it should be underscored that the cars were utilized to transport not just ministers but also staff and departmental officials. Those vehicles were booked by the department, not by the ministers' offices, and they were booked following a competition. Davos has limitations. It requires that when attending the conference, all vehicles must fit a certain profile. They have to be green vehicles.

The question that the NDP is putting forward is one suggesting that Canada should not be there. We believe that Canada should be there, representing our place on the world stage as economic leaders.