Scott Brison

[The Budget, April 22nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, shame on the government, indeed, for doubling the TFSA is irresponsible. In a few short years, the costs will be over $1 billion a year, but then by 2040, it will be over $10 billion per year. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance admitted that this a problem and he said, “Why don't we leave that to [the] Prime Minister's granddaughter to solve that problem”.

Does the Prime Minister agree with his finance minister that fiscal sustainability is a problem for his granddaughter's generation and not for him? Why is he putting a reverse home mortgage on Canada's fiscal house to pay for his election giveaways to the rich?

[Employment, April 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, when given the choice between being consistent and being right, I choose to be right. The fact is that Liberal governments actually cut taxes and actually paid down the debt. The Conservative government has actually raised taxes on middle-class Canadian families and at the same has increased the debt.

A lot of young Canadians are having trouble finding jobs. One NHL economic action plan ad run by the Conservatives would pay for 32 summer jobs for young Canadians. Why will the Conservatives not cut their partisan advertising that is wasting millions of dollars and help young Canadians find work?

[Taxation, April 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, doubling the TFSA limit is just another Conservative tax break for the rich. Most middle-class families cannot make use of that extra limit. In fact, very few middle-class families have an extra $20,000 kicking around every year to invest in their TFSAs. Wealthy Canadians can and in time, doubling the TFSA limit will give billions more to the wealthy.

Why are the Conservatives making middle-class Canadians who are struggling pay for tax breaks for the rich?

[Finance, April 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' balanced budget law is a phoney gimmick. It was the Conservatives who inherited a $13 billion surplus, spent us into deficit even before the 2008 downturn, then gave us seven deficits, adding $160 billion to the national debt.

Now the law only applies outside of recessions. However, we have not been in a recession since May 2009. Therefore, will the Conservative ministers agree to make the law retroactive and return 5% of their salaries over the last six years to Canadian taxpayers?

[Finance, April 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are more focused on advertising the budget than they are on writing it. Now they are spending $7.5 million tax dollars on budget ads this spring. Meanwhile, young Canadians are struggling to find summer jobs.

A single ad during the hockey playoffs could help pay for more than 30 jobs in the Canada summer jobs program. When will the Conservatives stop wasting tax dollars to promote themselves and when will they start investing in summer jobs for Canadians and help young Canadians get the jobs they need?

[Finance, April 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, while Canadians wait for the budget, the Minister of Finance is actually cutting funds for his department's fiscal and economic analysis unit by more than a third. The minister has a history of making mistakes and introducing bad policy. There is his so-called small business job credit, which rewards firing workers. Then there is his $2 billion a year income splitting plan, which manages to be unfair, fiscally irresponsible and bad for growth.

Why is the minister getting rid of the evidence that might prevent him from making more mistakes?

[The Economy, March 31st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says that he cannot introduce a budget because of falling oil prices, but Alberta is more dependent on oil prices than Ottawa. However, Alberta's premier did not make excuses; he tabled a budget last week. If Jim Prentice can introduce a budget, why can the Prime Minister not?

[The Economy, March 31st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, there are over two million more Canadians in the jobs market actually looking for jobs. Canada's economy not only shrank in January, it shrank in three of the last six months. The Bank of Canada says that we need “considerable monetary stimulus to avoid falling back into recession”. That is why the bank took action and lowered rates, but there has been no action from the Conservatives.

Why has the Minister of Finance spent the last two months in hiding, refusing to table a budget? When the Canadian economy flatlines, why is the finance minister missing in action?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, March 31st, 2015]

With regard to contracts under $10 000 granted by Public Works and Government Services Canada since June 4, 2014: what are the (a) vendors' names; (b) contracts' reference numbers; (c) dates of the contracts; (d) descriptions of the services provided; (e) delivery dates; (f) original contracts' values; and (g) final contracts' values, if different from the original contracts' values?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, March 27th, 2015]

With regard to contracts under $10 000 granted by Western Economic Diversification Canada since June 4, 2014: what are the (a) vendors' names; (b) contracts' reference numbers; (c) dates of the contracts; (d) descriptions of the services provided; (e) delivery dates; (f) original contracts' values; and (g) final contracts' values, if different from the original contracts' values?