Stephen Harper

[Mali, January 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the short answer is yes.

As I think most parliamentarians will know, the government has been very clear that it will not undertake a Canadian combat mission in Mali. At the same time, we are providing technical assistance to the French and other military forces who are there. We have committed heavy lift aircraft to that engagement, which is being done under a United Nations mandate.

Of course, through this chamber and through committees, we will be consulting with parliamentarians on any further steps that need to be taken.

[Foreign Investment, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been very clear. In the oil sands or in other areas of the Canadian economy, we will not permit foreign governments to own a substantial portion of our resources. We have been crystal clear on that.

The FIPA with China is absolutely clear as well. Every such transaction in the future will be subject to the government's discretion in the Investment Canada Act and we will exercise that discretion to protect Canadians.

[The Environment, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, at this time of merry Christmas, I wish serenity now to all members of the House.

As this government has done on foreign investment in making sure that we are able to attract foreign investment in a way that protects the interests of Canadians while ensuring that this country is not run by foreign governments, we are and will continue to do the same thing for the environment and the economy.

We are the first government to make progress on actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time we are making sure that we develop our resources and provide good, high-paying jobs.

[Foreign Investment, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the ideological opposition of the NDP to foreign investment is well-known and often expressed here by the critic of that party.

What makes this intervention particularly bizarre is that we know that the NDP, which has said so in election campaigns, is actually against the development of the oil sands entirely. New Democrats get up and masquerade somehow that they understand this industry and are defending the interests of Canadians. People know the only government that will defend the interests of this industry and Canadians is this government.

[National Defence, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General did not say that. On the contrary.

The government gave the available information to the people of Canada and to Parliament. The Auditor General questioned the due diligence behind this information, which is why we appointed a panel of experts to review the figures. This panel will present its findings in the near future.

[National Defence, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General said absolutely no such thing. This government has provided the information at its disposal to Parliament. The government has provided the information at its disposal to the people of Canada. The government remains committed to a thorough assessment of the numbers that have been presented by the Department of National Defence, and the government remains committed to the Canadian aerospace industry and to providing the Canadian military with the planes they need.

[National Defence, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General said no such thing, and if there is any corruption here, this would be the first time corruption has occurred without any funds actually being spent. Not only have no funds been spent on the acquisition, but no money has been lost on the acquisition, unlike the $40 million we are still looking for--

[National Defence, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the government has not spent any public money on the acquisition of any aircraft, and we are committed to ensuring that the air force has the right aircraft when it needs them at the end of this decade.

At the same time, we are contributing to the development of this aircraft, which is benefiting the aerospace industry in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. We are committed to helping our industry.

[National Defence, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. The Auditor General, as we know well, released a report in which he questioned some of the assumptions and some of the work that had been done by officials on the details. Therefore, the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of National Defence have worked with an expert panel to put together more information on this. Obviously, that will be released shortly. However, we remain fully committed to ensuring that our air force has the planes it needs to do its job when the CF-18 begins to be retired later in this decade.

[Foreign Investment, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, of course, the reason we supported the express position of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce was that it was virtually identical to the position of the Conservative government. It was, of course, not at all the position of the New Democratic Party.

The Leader of the Opposition started off his questioning today by saying that we were somehow blocking necessary foreign investment and now has concluded by saying we should shut it all down. That is why Canadians favour the balanced and sensible economic management of this government.