Rob Anders

[Telecommunications Act, November 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I hear talk in the House today about liberalizing trade, liberalizing this, liberalizing that.

When I hear the word liberalizing, I hear bigger government. When I hear the word liberalizing, I hear steroids for the CRTC. When I hear the word liberalizing, I hear more patronage pork, just like the bigger government resulting from the GST. That is called liberalizing too, just like the more patronage pork on top of the 50 patronage appointments that the Prime Minister made during this year alone, never mind the Senate.

When I hear liberalizing, once again I hear bigger government and I hear more pork.

[Labour Relations Board, November 19th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to eating, even the snack pack cannot compete with Ted Weatherill, the chair of the Canada Labour Relations Board. Mr. Weatherill spent $148,000 on snacks in his first eight years as chair. Yet the Liberal government is waiting six months in investigation before it will consider his dismissal.

How many more $733 lunches for two in Paris does the minister need before he cans this half million dollar man?

[Supply, November 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I challenge the hon. member for Calgary Southeast to talk about how many tax increases the Liberals have brought in since 1993. I dare him to mention them in the House.

[Telecommunications Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, once again I cannot resist commenting.

We have had Tories standing in the House today talking about how they do not like monopolies and how they are encouraged by these liberalizing trade initiatives. However, they still have people out and about in my province who are in favour of monopolies.

As a matter of fact, Harvey Andre, who used to be the government House whip and was also in charge of Canada Post, still believes in Canada Post and to this day writes letters to Calgary publications. He said that Canada Post should have an exclusive monopoly and that nobody else should be able to deliver mail in the country, that if there is a courier within a city that can deliver mail overnight for 19¢, they should not be allowed to do it. As a result, Harvey Andre was in support of disallowing the city of Calgary to deliver bills more cheaply than Canada Post could do it. As well, Harvey Andre supports Canada Post using Purolator Courier to subsidize its competition against United Parcel Service and Federal Express as private couriers.

I wonder whether or not the Tory members in this House today support the monopolies that Canada Post enjoys and uses to subsidize, driving its private competitors out of its industry.

[Telecommunications Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, years after their government fell from 177 seats down to two, lo and behold in 1997 the Tories are still proud of their record of introducing the goods and services tax. Nothing ceases to amaze me.

In terms of regulation, these free marketeers kept the CRTC around through thick and thin during Tory governments, Brian Mulroney governments. As part of its mandate some time after the turn of the millennium 100% of all programming in Canada was to be Canadian content. There would not be anything allowed outside Canadian content.

We may be proud of some of the programs we produce in Canada, but shame on those Tories who supported the idea that people should not be able to watch anything other than Canadian content.

[Telecommunications Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I should like to make some comments with regard to the Tory member who just spoke.

Those oh so avid free trading Tories are the ones who brought us the GST, the ones who did not eliminate the interprovincial barriers to trade or make significant steps to that effect. My comments are not strictly reserved for them. They are also directed to the Liberals across the way. I will say in the NDP's defence that it was against free trade then and is against free trade now.

The Liberals have flip flopped all over on the issue. They were against it. Now they are for it. Now they are continuing it, promoting it and extending it.

Those Tories, those free marketeers, what a joke. If they had been free marketeers, if they had actually believed in freer trade, in smaller government and less regulation, they would have balanced the budget in the nine years they had in power. They failed to do so. Shame on them.

Why do the Tories across the way not talk about their record in terms of regulation and spending?

[Telecommunications Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, if Canada was unilaterally to go ahead and act against currency trading or if there were to be a multinational universal agreement in terms of taxing currency trading, all we would be doing is regulating it to death. What would be the point of even having a floating currency?

The hon. member for the NDP should suggest a fixed currency in terms of a gold standard, for example, rather than suggest that somehow the multilateral agreement should end it. It is not that I support it necessarily but then at least it could be credibly argued from her point of view.

[Telecommunications Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I asked the question and, indeed, a lack of understanding of economics was proven by the member from the NDP. I have done a fair amount of trading and as far as I know the markets, if Canada were to go ahead and create a tax on currency trading unilaterally, we could be guaranteed there would be a sucking sound which would be the capital leaving this country. Or capital may never come into the country again.

By proposing that we tax these transactions, the member is actually encouraging the driving out of capital. I just do not understand how that would create jobs. Obviously in the member's fantasy world the economy has orange skies if she believes that this may work in creating jobs. It will not.

[Telecommunications Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder how a tax, as the NDP member has termed it, on currency trading creates jobs. Investment and growth in the economy are what creates jobs. But restricting Canada's access to capital markets and to currency does not. Is she possibly proposing that Canada move to a gold standard rather than having a free floating currency? How does the free flow of capital stimulate investment and create jobs?

[Telecommunications Act, November 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have a tough question for the member for Calgary Centre.

I wonder if he could enlighten the House with regard to the CRTC—