Scott Brison

[Finance, November 19th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday for the first time the finance minister credited the previous PC government for his debt reduction plan. He said “They set up a deficit reduction plan. What we are in fact doing is doing exactly what his government set up”.

The Economist magazine has also said that the PC policies are responsible for his government's success in eliminating the deficit.

Now that the finance minister has admitted that his best policies have come from the previous PC government, I ask him to do it again, take good PC policy and reduce taxes for Canadians today.

[Taxation, November 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is wrong.

The fact is under his leadership Canadians are paying higher taxes than they have ever paid before and the poorest Canadians are paying the highest tax burden under his leadership.

He used to call the GST a regressive tax. In fact, he has used the GST to help pay off his deficit. The same policies he criticized as an opposition critic he has used to pay off the deficit.

Will he reduce taxes now and give Canadians the future they deserve?

[Taxation, November 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister told the House that disposable incomes had increased between 1996 and 1997. He failed to tell the House that disposable incomes have actually decreased between 1997 and 1998.

Under his leadership taxes are higher, take home pay is down and consumer debt is at an all time high. Does the minister understand that by using high taxes to pad his books and by relying on a high tax policy, the future of Canadians' prosperity has been completely destroyed?

[Taxation, November 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the government has balanced the books by overtaxing Canadians. Federal tax revenues have ballooned from $116 billion in 1993 to over $151 billion this year. As well, policies like free trade, implemented by the previous government, have helped generate revenues to pay down the deficit. Yet the current finance minister was opposed to free trade in 1990. The finance minister has flip-flopped on free trade.

I ask him today to do the right thing and flip-flop on tax reductions. Do the right thing now, take our advice and give Canadians the tax relief they need.

[Taxation, November 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, in 1989 the current finance minister said that he was worried that the government would attack the deficit on the backs of the people who could not afford to bear the burden. Yet a recent survey shows that low income Canadians have been the hardest hit by this government's regressive tax policies. Bank of Canada figures show that Canadians have the highest personal debt ever.

Is the finance minister satisfied that he has helped put this government in the black by putting Canadians in the red?

[Taxation, November 16th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the last PC plan I saw had free trade and GST in it. I would like to know where the Liberals, who are sitting in this House today, were back then.

The fact is that personal taxes are up $2 billion this year and low income earners have had the biggest tax hike of all Canadians due to the 70% increase in CPP payroll taxes. The government now wants to maintain unnecessarily high EI premiums. These payroll taxes are regressive and punish the poor in Canada.

Why is this finance minister balancing the books on the backs of low income Canadians?

[Taxation, November 16th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister's budget projections are bogus. Revenues this year are rising beyond his projections because of increases in personal taxes. The Canadian standard of living continues to decline as taxes rise.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Taxpayers has endorsed the PC plan demanding tax relief.

Will the minister commit today to lowering taxes and making them fairer for Canadians?

[Canada Pension Plan, November 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister knows full well that the final decision rested with him, and the finance minister's final decision was to staff the board with Liberal partisans.

Canadians cannot trust that there will be no political interference in the decisions of this board because clearly there has been political interference in the appointment of this board.

Will the minister clean the slate and ensure that all appointments to this board go through a parliamentary review and approval process?

[Canada Pension Plan, November 3rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the CPP investment board is responsible for the pensions of all Canadians. It will have $80 billion worth of assets and it will be the most powerful force in Canada's equity markets.

The finance minister has assured this House that there will be no political interference with the Canada pension plan, yet of the twelve members of this board six are prominent Liberals.

How can Canadians trust that there will be no political interference in the decisions of this board when in fact there has been political interference in the appointment of this board?

[Canada Pension Plan, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, five of the twelve members of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board are significant Liberal contributors. In fact 42% when only .2% of adult Canadians contribute to the Liberal Party. The board also includes a defeated Liberal MP.

Will the government end the political interference and restore the credibility of the Canada pension plan by ensuring that the parliamentary process of review occurs with every appointment to this important board?