Ralph Goodale

[National Defence, April 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as much as I respect the Globe and Mail , sometimes there needs to be just a little bit more in terms of caucus research.

The government's position on ballistic missile defence is quite clear. We are absolutely opposed to the weaponization of space.

[Ethics, April 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the question is about as good as the attempt at humour.

There are rules in place to ensure disclosure. Those rules will be followed. There will be full disclosure according to the rules and any allegation to the contrary is completely bogus.

[Ethics, April 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the question is nonsensical because the premise is nonsensical.

[Ethics, April 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the Prime Minister and the cabinet are hiding nothing at all. The rules are in place to make sure there is full disclosure and there will indeed be full disclosure.

[Ethics, April 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, all the applicable rules will be followed with care. Obviously the hon. gentleman knows that he is perfectly at liberty to direct his questions to the ethics counsellor.

[Ethics, April 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the rules are in place and the rules will be followed. All members of the cabinet will comply.

[Finance, April 28th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the hon. member's considerable interest and expertise in this field.

The current RRSP rules may indeed not always deal appropriately with situations in which losses arise within an RRSP. I have asked my department to consider possible changes to improve the rules in this regard. I take his question as a further representation on this point.

[Student Loans, April 28th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman is just flatly wrong. The Government of Canada has created the Canada education savings grant, the Canada student bond and first year grants for tuition.

We have also improved the Canada student loans program and relieved the debt provisions at the end of the program. In this budget alone we have made an investment of $400 million a year every year, going forward forever, and we will continue to increase that investment.

[Government Contracts, April 28th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the statement made by the hon. gentleman is factually wrong. There is nothing on the public record, either of the government or in the media, that would support one shred of that allegation. It is simply false.

[Question No. 64, April 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the budget presented in the House of Commons on February 18, 2003 noted the importance of supporting saving through the tax system. It also stated that the government would review reprensentations it had received on the tax treatment of savings and would conduct analysis to identify possible improvements. The budget also included a commitment to consult on the question of whether tax pre-paid savings plans, TPSPs, could be a useful and appropriate savings vehicle for Canadians.

The budget presented in the House of Commons on March 23, 2004 noted that Department of Finance officials consulted with interested groups, experts and academics on the tax treatment of savings and TPSPs. The discussions were helpful in gathering views on TPSPs and other possible ways to improve the tax treatment of savings. The department is reviewing the views brought forward during the consultation and is continuing to examine TPSPs and other approaches to improve the tax treatment of savings.