Peter Van Loan

[The Environment, June 20th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I will say this much for the Liberal Party members. It is refreshing, after a year of those members debating anything else but policy ideas and issues, to see them finally raise an issue.

Unfortunately, it is an issue on which no Canadian believes them because their leader said he would never do it. He said last fall that there would never be a carbon tax. He said during the leadership campaign that it was “bad policy”. Guess what he said yesterday: I love my carbon tax policy and I love higher taxes. He did not say one word about one figure, one ounce of reduction in greenhouse gases.

It is nothing but a carbon tax trick and Canadians know that.

[The Environment, June 20th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, all I know is that Jack Mintz went on television last night to say that he had nothing to do with the construction of the Liberal plan. Apparently he is embarrassed about a plan that says absolutely nothing about reducing greenhouse gases, a plan that the Liberals' leader promised he would never, ever implement, saying to elect him as leader and he would never give them a carbon tax.

A few months later, they have a carbon tax. That is why Canadians do not trust this tax trick. It is nothing but one great big tax grab from the Liberal leader.

[The Environment, June 20th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, in the tax plan the Liberal leader released yesterday, a tax plan he said he would never have, he does not mention one single ounce of reductions in greenhouse gases. Those members can hide behind it all they want, but a tax plan is all it is.

Do Canadians know what else they said in the plan? They said there would not be any taxes on gasoline in it, but what did the Liberal finance critic say yesterday? The member for Markham—Unionville acknowledges that a full carbon tax would be “devilishly complicated, and that a Liberal government might begin with something a great deal more straightforward, such as a tax on imported oil”. Let us guess what that means: higher gasoline prices in Ontario, in Quebec and in all the Atlantic provinces.

Those members have already changed their minds in one day on that part of the policy.

[The Environment, June 20th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader promised his party that he would not bring in a carbon tax, but that is not what we saw yesterday. He seems to have changed his mind.

I would like to quote the Liberal Party leader, who said, last fall, that “—there will be no carbon tax—” Clearly, when the Liberal Party leader says something, he is not to be believed.

[The Environment, June 20th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the way we are going to help Canadians cope with avoiding massive increases in energy costs is by ensuring that the Liberal Party does not get elected with its carbon tax plan.

As the Liberal leader told his party when he was seeking the leadership, “Elect me and I won't give you a carbon tax”. He told those members that. He tricked them. Then he gave them the green shaft yesterday. There they are, saddled with a carbon tax they never wanted.

That flip-flop is so dramatic that they have not caught up on the Liberal website. Today it still says “we do not favour a carbon tax”. I wish they would make up their minds.

[Points of Order, June 19th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have an item that I would have liked to address in the Thursday question, but did not have an opportunity to do so.

We are nearing the end of the session before the summer break. At this opportunity, I want to take the time to thank the staff of the House of Commons, the Journals Branch and all others who work very hard to make things work well.

I particularly want to thank those who were involved in the aboriginal schools apology and other special things that happened in the past year, for example, the demands that were put on the House staff in accommodating committee of the whole in the fall when we dealt with our isotopes issue.

Mr. Speaker, you and your staff and also the staff of the House of Commons have gone above and beyond in accommodating these things. We want to thank them.

I also particularly want thank the pages, many of whom are here for their last time today. They do outstanding work. I know it is a wonderful and positive experience for them. My wife was a page back in 1987 and still recalls it as the best year of her life. I have taken the opportunity to take several former pages on to my staff. They have also performed in an outstanding fashion, having obviously learned a great deal from the program.

We all appreciate the great work the pages do. At this time, before they depart for the summer, I want to let them know that I think each and every member of Parliament appreciates their efforts.

[Canada-U.S. Relations, June 19th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we had a thorough review by the Clerk of the Privy Council and he cleared everyone of the false Liberal accusations in this case.

In terms of the witness protection program, I look across the benches and it looks like half of them have voted with their feet to go into the witness protection program after today's carbon tax announcement. I can understand why. It is because when it comes to false Liberal accusations, the leader said today that the Liberal carbon tax plan would be revenue neutral.

What does the Canadian Federation of Independent Business say? It says, “We do not believe that carbon taxes can be truly revenue neutral”. The revenue neutrality claim is another false Liberal accusation.

[Canada-U.S. Relations, June 19th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we are back to that regular Liberal theme of the past year: false Liberal accusations. These are false Liberal accusations where the people involved have been cleared in every case.

In this NAFTA matter, we have already had a review of the matter by the Clerk of the Privy Council and the people were cleared.

Today we saw another false Liberal accusation. It was a false accusation that the Liberals had a green plan, which they released. However, in it there was not one criteria, target or number that related to greenhouse gas reductions. That is another false Liberal accusation.

[National Security, June 19th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we do not need to act today. We acted some time ago when we asked foreign affairs to conduct a review and draw on the resources available to do it.

I know the member has a different agenda. He wants to know who has been sleeping with whom. He thinks that is interesting. He thinks it is important public policy.

A former prime minister had a different view. Jean Chrétien's view on privacy was that the marriages, sexual orientation or other private matters of cabinet ministers and prospective cabinet ministers had no bearing on a minister's ability to serve the public well and that he did not think it was any of his business.

However, those matters are apparently the business of the member for Vancouver South.

[National Security, June 19th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, let us remind Canadians what it is that the member for Vancouver South is afraid is being covered up, the thing on which he wants to hear a public inquiry. He said on CBC and in the Ottawa Citizen about Ms. Couillard, “Who else does she have relationships with? I would like to know”.

However curious he may be about those questions, we do not think that is a matter of important public policy that justifies a public inquiry, although I am sure he would rather be talking about that this summer than the carbon tax his leader announced today.