Ted Menzies

[Securities, June 2nd, 2010]

The truth is, Mr. Speaker, that we are not eliminating anything. We are actually adding to the accountability, the credibility of Canada's financial system through a voluntary system, a Canadian securities regulator.

I know the Bloc has a lot of trouble thinking that something Canadian is good for this country, but most Canadians do. We are protecting the investments of Canadians. We are encouraging foreign investment into this country to help grow our businesses. That is the right thing to do and I would encourage the Bloc to stop preventing that from happening.

[The Economy, June 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, indeed in the first quarter of 2010, Canada's economy grew by 6.1%. Not only is that the strongest quarterly growth rate in a decade, it is the strongest first quarter in all of the G7 countries.

What does that mean to Canadians? It means the economy is growing stronger, Canada's economic action plan is working and jobs are being created, in fact 285,000 new jobs since July of last year.

We are on the right track.

[Bill C-9, June 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to reiterate how important Bill C-9 is. We had good news just yesterday. The GDP grew by 6.1% in the first quarter. Why is that? It is because this Conservative government put in an economic action plan last year and part two this year. We are trying to get money out to Canadians to save jobs and build new jobs, and the opposition does nothing but stand in the way of that.

[Bill C-9, June 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to comment on Bill C-9, a bill that has actually gone through an all party committee of the House that sent it back here for third reading and without amendments.

We have had nearly three months to debate it. There are some very critical pieces in this bill. For example, many provinces have already budgeted for the $500 million in increased transfer payments that they require to balance their budgets.

[Securities, June 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, it is the opposite. We are trying to increase certainty for those who want to invest in this country.

However, I do have to agree with one thing. I guess the coalition that he refers to is growing. The NDP leader said that we are fortunate to have a better structure than some other countries but that there are improvements, like moving toward a national securities regulator. That is from someone within this House who agrees that we should move forward with this.

[Securities, June 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, a Canadian securities regulator is the right thing to do to protect Canadians' investments. However, it is voluntary. Any province that wants to join is welcome to.

The reason we are doing this is to protect investors. The main reason we are doing it is to increase investments into this country. No longer should we have 13 different regulatory bodies across the country that slow down and in fact impede investment into this country. We encourage everyone to voluntarily get on board.

[May 31st, 2010]

Well, Mr. Speaker, let us hope that never happens.

I know the hon. member is trying to avoid the fact that the Liberals did actually hurt education. They hurt Canada's economy, because they stalled the education of young people, and that is where our entire future depends.

Clearly the question today is why Liberals are pretending to support post-secondary education when they voted against all of our initiatives, including removing taxes from scholarships and bursaries.

We are doing this to help students get the education they need for the future. Helping students was clearly not a priority for the former Liberal government. As the Liberal member for Kings—Hants has publicly noted, the Liberal government:

balanced its books by slashing transfers to the provinces by forcing the provinces...to...face deficits, and health care systems and education systems in a crisis as a result of the its inability and irresponsibility to actually tighten its own belt more significantly.

[May 31st, 2010]

Absolutely. They voted against it. I know my hon. colleague behind me cannot believe that.

We lowered taxes for students when we made post-secondary scholarships and bursary income a student receives tax-free. The Liberal opposition once again voted against that.

We announced $45 million to establish new post-doctoral fellowships valued at $70,000 per year.

We also provided additional funding to support world-class research and researchers, including new resources for the research granting councils. Unfortunately, the Liberal opposition voted against all that.

Since forming government in 2006, we have made landmark investments in Canada's educational system.

We made Canada number one in terms of research and development spending in higher education when compared to all other G7 countries. The Liberal opposition yet again voted against that.

Clearly, our Conservative government is providing positive support for higher education.

If the Liberal opposition does not take my word for it, they should talk to the presidents of the 13 leading Canadian universities, including the University of Ottawa's president Allan Rock, a name familiar to many of us, who wrote an open letter in newspapers right across Canada that praised budget 2010. Here is a small sampling:

In past debt-elimination drives, federal transfers to provinces were rapidly reduced. Provinces then passed the cuts on to universities and colleges, hospitals and municipalities. Budget 2010 reduces the chances that this adverse history will be repeated.

This budget has also given universities a clear signal to get on with the job of laying the foundations for a sustainable economic recovery. We welcome that signal and the support that goes with it in a period of tough choices.

These...are very positive initiatives.

For that vote of confidence in higher education and advanced research, we are indeed grateful to the government and to Canada's taxpayers.

[May 31st, 2010]

Speaking of choices, Mr. Speaker, we need to reflect on the choices that the former Liberal government made during the 1990s. In her comments, the hon. member spoke about education, so let me just reflect on a couple of comments.

The former Liberal government radically slashed transfer payments to provinces and territories. We all know that. It has been referred to in here many times. Let me quote some of the groups that were blindsided by this shortsighted policy.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations said the Liberal federal government:

chose to cut investment in education in the mid-1990s to reduce the deficit. Due to these cuts, Canada faced a brain drain.

Let me also quote the Federation of Canadian Municipalities when it said:

the mistakes of the nineties...pushed deficits off the balance sheets and onto the streets of cities and communities. The damage done to Canada's cities is still evident

On the other hand, our Conservative government has taken real action to support students and higher education. We are ensuring, and we will continue to ensure, that provinces and territories have the ability to provide the health care, educational and other social services that families need. But shamefully, each and every time, the Liberals have voted against that support.

[Committees of the House, May 31st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I know I was so intent on getting back to the actual debate at hand, and I know that we have most Canadians supporting this legislation. In fact, the committee has dealt with it and brought it back here without amendments. I think it is important that we move on.

So, at this point, I move:

That the debate be now adjourned.