House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 65% of the vote.
The Economy February 24th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, this has a familiar ring to it. He drags out the red book and says it is not quite here, it is on the side. He is qualifying, adding, subtracting.
Why is it that the Prime Minister looks and sounds today just like he did before the budget in which he broke his promise to kill, scrap and abolish the GST?
The Economy February 24th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, you will notice that the Prime Minister did not answer the question.
The Prime Minister wriggles, the Prime Minister evades, exactly like he did before the budget when we were supposed to see the killing of the GST.
Why does the Prime Minister look and sound today just like he did before the budget in which he broke his promise to kill the GST?
The Economy February 24th, 1998
He went on to say: “When we reach that time we will allocate every billion dollars of fiscal dividend so that one half will go to reducing taxes and reducing national debt”.
Can the Prime Minister state without qualification, without wriggling, without addition and subtraction, that this promise will be honoured in today's budget?
The Economy February 24th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once said: “We are moving toward the time when the budget will finally be balanced. When we reach that time”—
The Economy February 23rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, what this government has given young Canadians is a $583 billion mortgage.
The Prime Minister promises that tax cuts and debt reduction will occur some day, but that day is always down the road. There is always a little loophole to allow him to get out of it. But spending, that is another story. Spending is now. Spending is concrete.
In the budget it is more spending that will get the screaming headlines and debt reduction and tax relief that will get the footnotes.
Does the government not know that tax relief delayed is tax relief denied?
The Economy February 23rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, any budget surplus belongs to the Canadian taxpayers, not to the government, not to the ministers and not to the Prime Minister.
There should have been a $3 billion surplus this year and there was going to be a $3 billion surplus, but then the Prime Minister and his colleagues decided to spend it before it ever got to the budget. There is going to be a cut from that surplus that will not leave anything for debt reduction or tax relief.
Why has the government robbed Canadians of a surplus that was rightfully theirs?
The Economy February 23rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign the Prime Minister promised that for every dollar of new government spending he would spend a dollar on debt reduction and tax relief. This is the 50:50 promise.
In the past few weeks the Prime Minister has promised at least $2 billion in new spending, $100 million for new TV shows, some $800 million toward the millennium fund, $100 million for the Canada Council, and so on.
If the government plans to keep this 50:50 promise and it is already committed to spending another $2 billion in new spending, where is the $2 billion for tax relief and debt reduction?
The Economy February 19th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, this has the same shape to it as the GST discussion. I will read it to the Prime Minister again: “We are moving towards a time when the budget will finally be balanced—When we reach that time, we will allocate every billion dollars of fiscal dividend” half to reducing taxes and half to debt reduction.
Can the Prime Minister explain why he is breaking that promise on the very first budget after the last federal election?
The Economy February 19th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I remember reading the red book on the balcony of the Frontenac Hotel. When ordinary Canadians read this red book it said: “We are moving towards a time when the budget will finally be balanced—When we reach that time, we will allocate every billion dollars”, the first billion, the second billion, the last billion, to debt reduction and tax relief.
When the finance minister says he will not keep that promise, is that not a broken promise like the—
The Economy February 19th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, during the last election campaign the Prime Minister went on TV and said he would spend 50% of any budget surplus on debt reduction and tax relief. He said relief would come “once the budget has been balanced”. There is nothing here about down the road, nothing here about over the mandate. Now the finance minister says he is not constrained by that promise.
Why is the Prime Minister allowing this election promise to be broken by the finance minister?