Preston Manning

[Government Expenditures, April 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the intensity of these answers reminds me a little bit of the old preacher who got fired when his-

[Government Expenditures, April 13th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to interrupt the family feud and bring us back to sanity and an issue of concern to all Canadians.

Yesterday the Prime Minister three times affirmed that the government will be making additional spending reductions not presently included in the budget to further reduce the deficit.

We welcomed that announcement. We assume it is supported by all members of cabinet and now expect various ministers to bring forward revised estimates containing these additional spending reductions.

My first question today is for one of those ministers, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. What additional expenditure reductions will he be putting forward in his $5 billion departmental budget in order to further reduce spending as the Prime Minister has promised?

[The Economy, April 12th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, just so that we have this absolutely clear, we all know that the finance minister is talking about further spending reductions to try to boost investor confidence in the Canadian economy. However, investors realize that the Minister of Finance will not prevail unless he is fully supported by the Prime Minister.

Will the Prime Minister assure us that he supports the finance minister when that minister calls for additional spending reductions not contained in this year's budget?

[The Economy, April 12th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, a supplementary question. Let us get this absolutely clear.

If I understand the Prime Minister, he is saying that there will be additional spending cuts in addition to those outlined in the recent budget.

Is that the correct understanding of the government's position?

[The Economy, April 12th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

Yesterday the Minister of Finance told investment dealers that further deep spending reductions are coming. He said: "There are no sacred cows. There are a whole series of government programs that we simply did not have time to get at in the government's first budget".

In March, however, the Prime Minister told an Edmonton audience that all spending reductions for the next three years were on the table.

Will the Prime Minister end this stream of mixed signals coming from the government and tell the House whether the government will be announcing additional spending reductions in the months ahead?

[The Economy, April 11th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the countries that are part of the European Community are running debt to GDP ratios of about 60 per cent. This government is running a debt to GDP ratio of 93 per cent. We could not even get into that community.

I have a supplementary question. If the Prime Minister is not prepared to give convincing answers to this side of the House, surely he recognizes that he has to be convincing to investors and lenders of private sector job creation.

Will the Prime Minister today acknowledge that Canadians want a clear signal, not from the Minister of Finance and not from the Minister of Human Resources Development, but from the Prime Minister that he is personally prepared to consider extraordinary measures to control the overspending of his government?

[The Economy, April 11th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I find the Prime Minister's answer incredible. All members of the House had better recognize that the government is spending $110 million more per day than it takes in. We are sleepwalking toward a fiscal crisis.

I have a question for the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister today acknowledge that this spending rate simply cannot continue and that the government will have to consider extraordinary measures not contained in the red book, the throne speech or the budget to bring this spending rate under control?

[The Economy, April 11th, 1994]

I make reference to the record level of debt. Will the Prime Minister today acknowledge that this debt level is unacceptable to the government and that extraordinary measures beyond those contained in the budget must now be considered to combat it?

[The Economy, April 11th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

While the House was recessed Statistics Canada announced the combined federal and provincial debt to be $660 billion. That is 93 per cent of GDP or $23,000 worth of debt for every man, woman and child in the country.

Will the Prime Minister today acknowledge-

[Interest Rates, March 23rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have a further supplementary question.

There must have been somebody in the finance department who had anticipated interest rates higher than those projected in the budget and what to do about it. I ask the minister if the government will be forthright and publish its real interest rate projections and its real interest cost projections as distinct from those contained in the red ink book.