Peter Van Loan

[Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, this budget has been debated more than any other budget I can imagine in my lifetime.

It was the subject of an election campaign. If my colleague from Newton—North Delta did not have an opportunity to review that big document, the budget, in March, and she did not have a chance to shine light on it during that period of time when all Canadians were making their choices on how they wanted to vote and who they wanted as their government, then I do not believe another day of debate would help her.

Canadians had a chance to make a choice on this budget. They debated this budget, not just parliamentarians, but all Canadians. Those Canadians voted and gave a strong mandate to our government to deliver on our low tax plan for jobs and growth. They gave us a mandate to do it months ago. The budget was introduced in March, and my colleagues opposite are saying they have not had time to study it yet.

Where were they during the election? Where have they been for the past six months? It has been there in black and white. It is time to get on. Let us deliver results for the economy and let us deliver those results now.

[Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I think that the people of Quebec and Canada consider the economy, economic growth and job creation to be serious priorities. These are our government's priorities—its top priorities even.

For example, in this budget, we have measures to remove the limit on eligible expenses caregivers can claim for their financially dependent relatives under the medical expense tax credit. To help job creation, we propose helping apprentices in the skilled trades, as well as workers in regulated professions, by making occupational, trade and professional examination fees eligible for the tuition tax credit.

We have many measures related to training and job creation. Our priority is our plan for job creation and economic growth.

[Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I invite my friend to read the Standing Orders and acquaint himself with the rules of Parliament.

What I can tell you is that it cannot be delayed further. Something that Canadians need at this important time is action on the economy, action to create jobs and economic growth.

I will take one element as an example, the accelerated capital cost allowance, the piece that allows businesses to write off their investments in new equipment and machinery on a quick two-year basis. Jayson Myers from the Canadian manufacturers' association said, “This is something that is very important. Manufacturers, and many businesses generally, and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters strongly support and congratulate the government for extending it in the budget.

That is why Soprema in British Columbia made a multi-million dollar expansion. That is what has helped Celestica move into solar panel manufacturing. It has helped Prévost bus lines in Quebec develop a new robotic system and it has helped Aberfoyle Metal Treaters get a new contract with Boeing to do heat treating. I could go on and on.

We are moving forward with measures to create jobs; they want to stop those measures to create jobs. They tried to do it by forcing an election on this issue and they lost the election on this issue. Canadians asked us to move forward, and that is what we are doing right now: delivering on our low-tax plan for jobs and growth.

[Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member had any respect for Parliament, he would understand that we have not once moved closure. We are talking about time allocation, whereby we allocate a certain amount of time for the debate of bills.

[Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, what this government values and what Canadians valued in the last election was a government that is prepared to take action to help the Canadian economy. That is what we are doing with this bill: taking action that is required at this challenging time in the global economy.

Let us consider some of the actions that my friends opposite have voted against and now wish to delay with further debate: a hiring credit for small business to ensure and support hiring and the creation of new jobs; tax support for clean energy generation; a tax credit for volunteer firefighters; a new family caregiver tax credit; enhancing the Wage Earner Protection Program Act; a tax credit for children's involvement in music and dance lessons to help local economies; the extension for a further two years of the accelerated capital cost allowance to allow manufacturers and businesses to invest in new equipment to make them more competitive, so that they can compete and create jobs against the rest of the world at a time when we really need to do that.

These are the measures that the other parties are saying should not be allowed to pass. These are the measures that they wish to delay and obstruct further. It was not good enough that they forced an election and tried to prevent these measures from being put in place; now they want to prevent them from being put in place at all this year, when we need them in place before the next taxation year and budget year take effect.

[Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, this is perhaps the most debated budget bill in my lifetime, or certainly in my memory.

The budget was introduced in March. The first efforts by the opposition to obstruct the bill were actually to bring down this Parliament and to have an election called. In that election, the essence of our platform and the main subject of debate among the voters was in fact this budget.

It was debated by all Canadians for an entire election. What did Canadians say at the end of that election? They liked that budget so much and wanted the government to do it so much that they gave the government a majority, the first majority government in Canada in four Parliaments.

As a result of that mandate, that request from Canadians that we implement the budget that they debated in that election, we have moved forward with it.

This is the 2011 budget we are talking about. It was introduced in March. If the hon. members opposite have their way, it would not even be passed into law in 2011. We would be having it in 2012. In fact, we might have the 2012 budget before we have the 2011 budget implemented. That is the way the opposition would do it.

This is at a time when we have, on the global stage, economic challenges unprecedented in my lifetime. We have very significant global challenges that need a response and that need the low-tax plan for jobs and growth that we are implementing through this budget implementation bill. That is why we have to do it. We have to deliver on the commitments we made to Canadians to get Canada's economy moving.

[Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act, November 16th, 2011]

moved:

That in relation to Bill C-13, An Act to implement certain provisions of the 2011 budget as updated on June 6, 2011 and other measures, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration of the report stage and one sitting day shall be allotted to the third reading stage of the said bill and, fifteen minutes before the expiry of the time provided for government business on the day allotted to the consideration of the report stage and on the day allotted to the third reading stage of the bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of the order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the stage of the bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.

[National Defence Act, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I would ask for unanimous consent for the following motion:

That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practices of this House, Bill C-16, An Act to amend the National Defence Act (military judges), be deemed concurred in at report stage and deemed read a third time and passed.

[Privilege, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I know nothing of the activities that the hon. member has complained of, though it is quite evident and the government is certainly willing to admit that he is in fact here today in Parliament. That, I think, is evident to everybody.

However, it does bring to mind a dilemma that was faced by Sir John A. Macdonald over several decades, when George Brown, holding the editorial pen of The Globe, repeatedly wrote that he was about to resign. Though that did go on for several decades, I do not ever recall a point of order being made or a point of privilege being made at that time.

However, if we do see fit to make further submissions, we will advise you.

[Points of Order, November 16th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think that anything the member has raised poses a question of unparliamentary language. I know that there is often lots of enthusiasm in the House and he should be proud that he inspired some enthusiasm today.