Stephen Harper

[Foreign Investment, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, The Gong Show over there continues.

The Leader of the Opposition presented a motion in which he purported that his party represented the views of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Now he gets up and pretends to represent the views of the Alberta and Canadian business communities. I can give a list a mile long of people who supported this government's decision.

What they do not support is shutting down the oil sands, as the NDP favours. They do not support a carbon tax. They do support the responsible and balanced approach of this government.

[Foreign Investment, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our announcement last Friday included plenty of clarifications for the markets, and the markets responded appropriately.

We also maintained the flexibility, in certain cases, to protect Canadians and the Canadian economy, which is, of course, the responsibility of the Government of Canada.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I obviously do not accept the preamble to this question. The Auditor General had doubts about the estimates provided by National Defence. For that reason, we created a panel of experts to examine these costs in detail. Naturally, we will make this information public in the near future.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is always possible to say that something will cost more if one keeps lengthening the time span in which one is doing the analysis. In any event, as we have said before, the Auditor General has raised concerns about the costs and that is why we have asked for a thorough examination of those costs. The government will be reporting on those matters in due course.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, first, I would not begin by accepting the preamble of that question. There are a range of issues that have been raised by the Auditor General and others. I believe that the seven step process that has been outlined by the government and by the Minister of Public Works addresses these very issues.

What we want to do obviously is ensure that, for the best price, we get the plane that will fulfill the needs of the Canadian air force, of the Canadian military, when the CF-18 fleet begins to reach the end of its lifespan at the end of this decade.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government has taken into account the findings of the Auditor General and that is why we are proceeding with a detailed seven step action plan.

In terms of there being no industrial benefits, as I have said before, there are hundreds of millions of dollars of contracts that have been let out to Canadian companies in the development of the F-35 aircraft. In fact, in the greater Montreal area, there is Héroux-Devtek, Pratt & Whitney and Alcoa Howmet all doing work on this very plane.

I suggest the member, during the Christmas break, go and visit some of those workers in his area.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government has already announced that it intends to follow a seven-point plan to review all the details of this transaction. This is obviously very important for the future of Canada's military. It is vital that the fighter planes be replaced at the end of this decade. We are working very hard to ensure that the Canadian Forces get the best plane.

[Foreign Investment, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to explain this once again for the benefit of the NDP leader.

As we said on Friday, we have accepted the Nexen transaction, which does not, in and of itself, raise the spectre of foreign government control of the oil sands. However, we have been very clear that we are concerned about that trend. The trend will not continue and future transactions of that nature are not likely to be approved by this government.

This is the position that markets, Canadian industry and Canadians have widely supported. They support it because they trust the government to take a balanced approach that will both encourage investment and protect Canadians.

[Foreign Investment, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as I said on Friday, the Nexen transaction is acceptable. However, increased ownership in the oil sands by foreign governments is not acceptable for the government. We have a balanced position. It is not the position of the former Liberal government that approved every investment, nor is it the position of the NDP that opposes every investment; it is a balanced position that protects the interests of the Canadian economy.

[Foreign Investment, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government already did just that last Friday in terms of clarification. Markets have reacted very positively to that. I think Canadians understand.

Canadians do not want the position of the former Liberal government, which was to rubber-stamp all foreign investments. They certainly do not want the position of the NDP, which is to be opposed to all such investments. Canadians want a balanced and reasonable approach that protects our country's interest.