Transport committee  I want to kick things off by getting a few items dealt with off the top, which I hope will enlighten my friends across the way from the NDP. I'd like to ask the panel what an increase in corporate taxes, an imposition of a carbon tax, and a policy of no free trade agreements would do for your businesses. Would these be helpful of hurtful? Let's start with Mr. Hébert.

Finance committee  As I listen to you, I am trying to understand a little bit. You talked about taxing people and things like that. How do you square a $21 billion carbon tax being laid on the people? How do you think that would help these people you are talking about, the workers? How would that affect them? That's what members opposite are advocating. I am just curious to hear what you have to say about that.

Finance committee  Can you tell me if any of those 109,000 have at any time come to you and said they are in favour of a carbon tax?

Finance committee  This being Small Business Week, I think your being here is quite propitious. Let me just get a little deeper into this. What would a carbon tax do to the community of small businesses if it were imposed right now, as my friends in the NDP are advocating?

International Trade  While I have the floor, if the NDP wants to talk about what is going to drive costs up for Canadians, and especially Canadian seniors, let us talk about its carbon tax—

Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada  Canadians deserve to know if the NDP wants to raise the price of everything, including groceries, electricity and gas. This job-killing carbon tax would be bad for Canadians, bad for the economy, bad for the country. Our government will continue with our low-tax plan to create jobs, economic growth and prosperity for all Canadians.

The Economy  It is understandable why that member and the NDP want to stop us from talking about their policies. The NDP's plan for the economy is to impose a new $21 billion job-killing carbon tax that would raise the price of everything. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources tell this House what our Conservative government is doing to help grow the economy and create jobs?

The Economy  Marie knows, and Canadians are discovering, that the 2011 NDP campaign promise in which the NDP made a commitment to a carbon tax imposed through a cap and trade process would force Canadians to turn over $21 billion of their money. Our policies have helped create 800,000 jobs across this country. Just last month alone there were another 50,000 new jobs.

The Economy  In the NDP world, the solution to everything would be its high tax, big government schemes, such as its job-killing carbon tax which would rip money out of the hands of Canadian families and employers to feed the NDP's big government dreams. Would the Minister of Foreign Affairs share with the NDP, Parliament and all Canadians the results of our low-tax, pro-trade and pro-growth plan?

The Economy  They keep complaining that Canadians are not paying enough taxes. That is why they want to impose a $21.5 billion carbon tax on Canadians. The NDP can continue to do this, but Canadians know that our job creation plan is working. Today we saw the announcement of the creation of more than 50,000 net new jobs.

New Democratic Party of Canada  One thing we are very thankful for this year is that the opposition leader is not able to impose a carbon tax that would raise the cost on everything. The NDP believes that, when two wrongs do not make a right, it should try a third. It is easy to tell when New Democrats are not telling Canadians the truth: their lips move.

The Economy  Unfortunately, if the NDP leader had his way, these jobs and more would be lost because he would impose a new $21 billion carbon tax on the people of Canada. Our Conservative government will oppose this new NDP tax and we will continue working hard to support the economy and Canadian families with the positive, pro-growth measures of economic action plan 2012.

New Democratic Party of Canada  It has a tax plan and an election promise, a promise that would raise taxes on everything and a promise that would kill jobs and stop economic growth. Page 4 of the NDP 2011 election platform lays it out: a carbon tax through a government-imposed cap and trade system with the intent of raising $21 billion from taxpayers and Canadian businesses. The present leader of the NDP promised at the leadership debates that he would go even further than the last leader, that his plan would raise billions more.

Business of the House  It is my personal hope that having given the NDP three chances already this fall to articulate to the House and to all Canadians how it will implement its $21.5 billion job killing carbon tax that it will finally choose this as its subject for debate. I hope the NDP members will seize that opportunity and let Canadians know once and for all the fine details of their scheme to raise the price of gas, groceries, electricity and winter heat.

Employment Insurance  We have created 770,000 net new jobs, unlike the opposition members, who have voted against all of our initiatives to create jobs such as Helmets to Hardhats, and the $21 billion carbon tax of the NDP.