Ralph Goodale

[The Budget, March 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, in the budget we are accelerating for one year the planned increase in the small business deduction limit. We are moving the impediment to the scientific research and experimental development tax credit. We are extending the non-capital loss carry forward period to 10 years. We are providing better access to the government electronic tendering system. We are improving capital cost allowances on computer equipment.

We have made a commitment to work specifically with small business groups, like the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to reduce the paper burden facing small businesses.

[International Aid, March 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we have in fact honoured the commitments that we have made. There are more commitments outstanding. We stand with the poor countries of the world as our record shows and will continue to do so. That is a commitment we fully intend to keep over the course of this coming decade.

[The Environment, March 25th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the proceeds from the sale of Petro-Canada will, first, help to re-establish the principles of fiscal prudence, and second, $200 million will go toward the sustainable development technology fund which is directed toward environmental purposes.

We have made the commitment that over the next seven years we will invest at least $1 billion in those environmental technologies of the future.

[The Budget, March 25th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the equalization payment, as the hon. gentleman will know, this is about a $10 billion program. It will be rising by $1.5 billion over the next five years and 45% of the benefit of that program flows to the province of Quebec. Quebec is the largest single beneficiary of Canadian equalization.

With respect to securities regulation, I would correct the hon. gentleman. The wise persons' committee did not recommend a federal solution. It recommended a single Canadian solution.

[The Budget, March 25th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, there was a report by a distinguished group of Canadians some months ago that recommended the process of a single securities regulator for Canada in order to bring our securities regulations in the country into the 21st century.

That is an important innovation to bring into the regulation of capital markets. I am pleased that provincial ministers responsible for this matter are discussing it and seriously at work at it.

I think the hon. gentleman would agree with me and them that it is important for us to have a 21st century system and not one in the 19th century.

[Foreign Affairs, March 25th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government has made a very serious commitment to the poorest countries of the world and we will honour that commitment.

[The Budget, March 24th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, apart from the histrionics of the hon. gentleman across the floor, I am glad to have the endorsement for our approach to municipalities from the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. They have called it major progress toward the goals that they wish to achieve.

This government will make sure they are listened to. This government will work in partnership with them and the provinces to deliver on that new deal for cities because it is the way of the future. It is important for this country to have that partnership even if the official opposition stands against it.

[The Budget, March 24th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said the first step would be rebating the GST. We have done that. That is $100 million this year, $580 million next yea and $605 million the year after that. That is $7 billion over 10 years.

We then said we would accelerate infrastructure. We did that in the budget yesterday. Then we said we would sit down with the provinces and negotiate the rearrangements with respect to the fuel tax. We are ready to have that conversation whenever the premiers are prepared to come to the table, because we believe it is time for a new deal for cities and communities in this country, and I am glad--

[The Budget, March 24th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is just plainly wrong. In fact, assuming we have an ordinary rate of growth and the ordinary application of the contingency reserve, we will indeed meet our debt targets within exactly 10 years without any $200 billion bogus, phony story invented by the NDP simply to confuse and mislead Canadians.

[The Budget, March 24th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I might give the hon. member the same advice that I gave her leader yesterday. A basic course in economics 101 might be helpful here. On the debt, obviously if we are able to reduce it in a reasonable and sensible way, we hold down interest rates and we save billions of dollars a year in interest charges that we do not have to pay. That means we shift money into health, into education, into communities and into children, making this country stronger and better and improving our quality of life.