Trade  With the U.S. decision on softwood lumber and the passage of the new U.S. farm bill the government has failed to protect hard-working Canadian families. The Prime Minister has failed. It turns out he has no influence in Washington and no clout to protect Canadians. Will the acting prime minister explain to Canadian families why the government has failed to protect their interests from U.S. protectionism?

An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Cruelty to Animals and Firearms) and the Firearms Act  They do not trust the former justice minister and they do not trust the current justice minister. If the bill were to pass I fear that honest hard-working Canadians would be charged and put in jail for the simple act of trying to make a living. The government has created a monster and in the future we would see that most clearly. I would like to make a few comments about the firearms section of the act.

Excise Act, 2001  As we know, the Canadian Alliance is dedicated to reducing the size and scope of the federal government in order to deliver meaningful tax relief to hard-working Canadians. As a small business owner, I have firsthand knowledge and experience in dealing with the difficulties inherent in complying with CCRA regulations and remittance schedules. I look forward to being an advocate on behalf of millions of Canadian small and medium sized businesses that prosper in spite of the federal government's insatiable appetite for tax revenues.

The Economy  Why do they not look in the mirror to see who is really causing the problem? Who is at fault here? Hard working Canadian businessmen or the failed economic policies of the government?

The Economy  Canadians still face paying over 40% of their GDP in taxes, while in the United States it is only 30%, and it is our biggest competitor and our trading partner. How can the government claim to have offered tax relief when the tax burden for hard-working Canadians has not budged at all?

Budget Implementation Act, 2001  When people read this they probably thought it was the most progressive system in the world so the Liberals must be good. A former economist of a bank ought to know how punitive the tax system is to hard working Canadians and inherently unfair. When I spoke to the member for Markham I used the perfect example of a friend of mine who was in a low income situation for several years after high school and decided he wanted to better himself and generate more income.

Committees of the House  What is important in a budget is the proper care and maintenance of the sanctity of tax dollars of hard-working Canadians, not what the public might or might not think about how the government puts its budget together.

Employment Insurance  Speaker, the Minister of Finance once said “We believe there is nothing more ludicrous than a tax on hiring, but that is what high payroll taxes are”. If the Minister of Finance still believes that, why are hard-working Canadians paying $610 more in payroll taxes than they did in 1993?

The Budget  In fact there is an increase in job-killing payroll taxes at the very moment that the economy is going into a recession. The bottom line is that next year, hard-working Canadians will take home $150 less on their paycheques because of the mismanagement of the government. That is not acceptable. Payroll taxes are undoubtedly the most destructive for job creation.

Budget Implementation Act, 2000  When the Canadian Alliance forms the government we will immediately lower EI premiums to the break-even point and stop that unfair taxation on property owners and hard-working Canadians. The Liberal government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on gun registration. That has to be the absolute height of stupidity, making law-abiding, responsible firearms owners register their firearms.

Judges Act  This meant an average $13,000 pay increase for federal judges, with salaries increasing from $159,000 to over $172,000. I would be hard pressed to think of any other public servant, or any hard-working Canadian for that matter, who received that kind of pay increase in 1998. According to Statistics Canada, the consumer price index from 1996 to 1998 rose 2.55%. It is safe to assume that the salaries of most Canadians across the country would be affected by that statistic.

Judges Act  Translated into dollars, this meant an average $13,000 pay increase for federal judges with salaries increasing from $159,000 to over $172,000. I do not know of any other federal public servant, or any hard-working Canadian citizen, who received a $13,000 pay increase in 1998. While the Liberal government and the Tories were voting in favour of the huge pay increase, Canadians' incomes were on a steady decline.

Taxation  Speaker, we are talking here about a question of simple fairness. The minister should step outside of his bubble and recognize that hard working Canadians do not regard a $17.4 million salary as simply the price of doing business. There is another word for it. It is greed. The federal government should get out of the business of subsidizing through the tax system corporations that pay these salaries.

Speech From The Throne  The Liberal mini cuts will still leave Canada with the highest income tax to GDP ratio in the G-7, even while the U.S. is dramatically lowering its tax burden. We need to give hard working Canadians, businesses and entrepreneurs the same kinds of incentives and rewards that they could be achieving elsewhere or they will be lured to those other places. We believe that if Canadian businesses and workers are allowed to harness their own dreams and visions, the country will benefit as a whole.

Budget Implementation Act, 1999  The burden consists of federal income tax, payroll taxes, provincial taxes, municipal taxes, GST, PST, and the recent phenomenon of user fees, which I call hidden taxes. Let me dwell on some real examples of what hard working Canadians are facing. Dan Ticcapaugh, a constituent of mine, is a hard working father. He is raising two children. He earned $17,000 last year to feed his family. He paid $2,000 in taxes when he completed his income tax form.