House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2019, with 40% of the vote.
The Budget March 24th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, there is no jobs plan in this budget. It is a plan for massive spending on Liberal interests, and the Minister of Finance has no plans to pay it back.
The Liberals talk about economic growth, but this budget is pure smoke and mirrors. Why is the Minister of Finance burdening Canadians with $100 billion in new debt, and why do job creators have to pay for it?
Small Business March 24th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, there is no such thing as free money, and small business owners are going to pay the price.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business called it a “brutal budget for small businesses” that is filled with broken promises and higher taxes. Small businesses are the job creators in this country, but clearly the Prime Minister still thinks that most small businesses are just rich tax dodgers.
Why is the Prime Minister killing jobs by punishing small businesses with higher taxes?
The Budget March 22nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, let us just do a quick fact check between the Liberal election promises and what is in the budget.
In their election platform document, the Liberals projected and promised no more than a $25 billion deficit. It is now at $100 billion. They promised a 27% debt-to-GDP ratio in four years. It is now projected at 31.6%. There is no jobs plan for the 100,000 or more recently unemployed people in the oil and gas sector. Unemployment is rising.
What is the government's plan to provide incentives to businesses? What is the government's plan to create jobs? What is the government's plan to not tax job creators more, as this budget would do? What is the long-term plan?
Finance March 22nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, spending borrowed money on pet Liberal projects is not a jobs plan. The Minister of Finance has been all over the map. He is abandoning his campaign budget promises. His spending targets keep changing, and he is constantly floating new ideas to raise taxes on businesses.
Private sector investment has fallen off a cliff since the finance minister arrived. What is the plan to get businesses—not government, but businesses—investing in our economy again?
Finance March 22nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, deficit day has finally arrived. The Liberals promised they would borrow $10 billion this year. They broke that promise. The Minister of Finance claimed he would balance the books by 2019. He quit on that one too. He then promised that the debt-to-GDP ratio would not go up. He cannot even hit that target.
Given all these broken promises, why should Canadians believe anything presented in the budget?
The Economy March 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, it is not just that the Liberals will break their fiscal promises this year, we are now told that the real big ticket spending will not start for a couple of years.
For the Liberals, a $30 billion deficit is just a starting point. Already the Minister of Finance is talking about raising taxes on small businesses, taxing start-ups, and professionals. What other businesses will see their taxes go up in tomorrow's budget?
The Economy March 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the Minister of Finance will officially plunge Canada into an extended period of massive borrowing. Already TD Bank has said that the Liberals will put Canada into a deficit for at least 10 years. Experts across the board are increasingly warning that this year's $30 billion Liberal spending spree will not have any major impact on economic growth.
We are not in a recession and this budget will not deliver any major boost to the economy. Why exactly is the Minister of Finance borrowing $30 billion?
Finance March 10th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, TD Bank officials said the Liberals are breaking every single fiscal promise they made during the campaign, and Bank of Montreal officials warned that their spending spree will not come close to producing the growth the Liberals are imagining.
Can the Minister of Finance confirm that his fiscal plan is to blow the bank, blow through all of his fiscal promises, and then cross his fingers that the budget will somehow balance itself?
Finance March 10th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are spending as if we were in the great recession, even though we are not. The economy is growing. They could provide targeted supports to parts of the economy that need help today and invest in infrastructure over the long term, but they are not going to do that. They are obliterating every one of their promises by running a $30 billion deficit. They just cannot resist spending more. How can the Liberals justify spending money they do not have to fight a recession we are not in?
Presence in Gallery March 8th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, notwithstanding Standing Order 32(2), I would like to bring to the attention of the House the reported surplus of $2.2 billion at the end of December 2015 and ask for permission to table the documents proving this from the Department of Finance.