House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 64% of the vote.
Minister of National Defence September 29th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised to get that question from the hon. member. As I pointed out, the minister uses the Challenger 70% less than his predecessors and half the time he does that it is for repatriation ceremonies.
What I would expect from the hon. member is for him to ask how he could join the Minister of National Defence and also participate in those ceremonies for Canadian families.
The Economy September 29th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the government ran on an economic action plan just recently that was strongly supported by the Canadian people.
The Liberal Party forced an election over that and we know what the result was. After that result, the Liberal Party is truly out of touch when its members are back saying exactly the same things they were saying before the election.
The Economy September 29th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous member, when he was finance minister, we do not do multiple budgets in a single year.
The government, obviously, is looking at economic circumstances very carefully. The government already has an important number of proactive measures through the economic action plan to support the Canadian economy.
However, if the hon. member is suggesting that today the government should massively expand the Canadian deficit, I do not think the facts support that argument.
Aboriginal Affairs September 29th, 2011
On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, in the government's economic action plan, we made important infrastructure investments in aboriginal communities, and in the most recent budget, the measures of which are still finding their way through this Parliament, we have made important investments specifically in training aboriginal people for the jobs that exist.
I think what aboriginal Canadians would especially support would be if the NDP would support those positive measures for aboriginal people.
Government Ministers September 29th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, as far as the Minister of National Defence is concerned.
The defence minister has used government aircraft 70% less than his opposition predecessors and, when he has used them, it has been for important government business. Half of those flights were for repatriation ceremonies, so he could meet the families of those who had lost their loved ones in the service of this country. He goes there to show that we understand their sacrifice, we share their pain and we care about them. That is why the Minister of National Defence is so highly regarded on this side of the House.
The Economy September 29th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, this government has invested a record amount in Canadian infrastructure across the country. That is one of the reasons why analysts support our economic action plan, which is creating an impressive number of jobs in Canada. But again, when it is up to the NDP to make a suggestion, the only thing the leader of the opposition proposes is to increase taxes. This government is against increasing job-killing taxes.
Minister of National Defence September 28th, 2011
President of the Treasury Board September 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the government has already responded to all of these questions here in the House of Commons. I am surprised to see the Liberal Party continuing on this path, after the election results. The Auditor General examined this issue. The government accepted her recommendations, and we have answered all of the questions.
The Economy September 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the member gets on his feet to say, “You're spending too much money. Why don't you spend more?” That is the kind of position we have come to anticipate from the member. Of course, this government's economic record has been mandated by the Canadian people and praised by analysts around the world.
Frankly, everybody in this country has the right to lecture the hon. member about how he managed the Ontario economy.
The Economy September 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the government continues to run a significant deficit, as is appropriate at these times, but we are taking steps to ensure the budget will balance as the economy grows.
The difference between our position and the position of the hon. member, especially when he had premier responsibilities, was that no matter what circumstances we have, his position was we always increase the deficit. If times are good, we increase the deficit. If times are bad, we increase the deficit, and in the times in between, we increase the deficit.
Obviously, we use a steadier and more prudent judgment in managing the economy.