Old Age Security  Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear that I have full confidence in the minister, who is working very hard to reform what needs to be reformed in this country. As Canadians we must ensure that we can once again give people on welfare and unemployment insurance the dignity of having a job.

Old Age Security  Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. The policy of the government is becoming increasingly clear. After launching an assault on the unemployed, the government is now setting its sights on seniors. By reducing the tax credit for seniors, the government is actually increasing their tax burden by $500 million over three years.

The Budget  The Minister of Finance wants us to believe that next year is when more jobs will occur and that is when we will see an improvement in the economy. The mandate for this election was crystal clear. It was to change, to drastically reduce spending, to go in a new direction and thus spur on the economy. The mandate was not to shuffle a few things and hope that the economy would turn around on its own.

The Budget  I believe we as the new government have begun to reverse this opinion and return people's trust and confidence in us as members of Parliament. During the election the public had some clear choices before it, parties with very different policies and ideas. We as Liberals believe that the people should know exactly what they were voting for and that is why we put our policies in our famous red book.

The Budget  The government reduces our purchasing power by $800 million but allocates $1 billion for infrastructures, which means zilch for job creation. It is clear this budget is not about job creation but job reduction. Furthermore, corporate taxes will be increased by $1.7 billion and individual income tax by $1.8 million, over the next three years.

The Budget  Much has been said about this government's commitment to the concept of sustainable development. It is clear we must move carefully to achieve a balance in decision making between environmental and economic objectives. At this time our movement toward sustainable development must progress carefully.

The Budget  This is what the 1994 budget sets in motion, a framework for social and economic renewal. Our objective is clear: to stimulate growth by targeting our spending without imposing new taxes. Just look at how quickly the government has set about funding initiatives which were promised during the campaign.

The Budget  An important part of our commitment to education and training is our pledge to ensure that people collecting social assistance have access to skills upgrading programs. It is quite clear the old system is not working. We need to find and make more jobs available. We need to make our approach more active. When we offer assistance we must also offer the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to find a meaningful job.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his comments. It was very clear that the government campaigned on the issue of child care. We committed ourselves to increasing the number of child care spaces available in each year following 3 per cent growth. I am pleased to be part of a government that recognizes that child care is in fact very important to the equality of women.

The Budget  Speaker, this is my tenth year in the House of Commons and for at least ten years we have been consulting and studying. I thought that the Liberal Party had such a clear program, because almost every day, if not several times a day, they tell us about their marvellous red book which had all the answers. I realize that the red book was not so complete since, when it comes to job creation and aid for small business, the government consults and studies and it will go on studying for a long time.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I am still not clear about a few things regarding this budget. As we know, the government is not always the most efficient provider when it comes to delivering certain types of services. Take veterans' homes for example.

Government Expenditures  When travelling in Canada today, we find that a lot of people think that we have put forward some very deep cuts and we have to handle that. At the same time I said that we had a plan. The plan is clear, that over the period of three years we want to reduce the deficit to 3 per cent of GNP. I said that with the cuts that have been put forward in the budget and having 3 per cent growth the first year and 3.8 per cent the second year, we will achieve our goal.

Publishing Industry  The commitment we make is quite clear, Mr. Speaker. We are committed to ensuring that any transaction reviewable by Investment Canada is of net benefit to Canada.

Publishing Industry  Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. What the minister is speaking about is a legal obligation based on something that does not exist. There is no possibility for any Canadian, for any court, to look at the document or instrument from which arises this supposedly existing obligation.

Publishing Industry  Speaker, it is important to add some clarification to this issue since the Leader of the Opposition who we all know has great interest in Canadian culture seems to be implying that Canadian interests were somehow ignored in this. I want to make it clear as the minister responsible for Investment Canada there were a number of implications to this complete transaction which should be well understood. What was reviewed by Investment Canada was an indirect acquisition of an already foreign owned company, Maxwell Macmillan Canada, which was in receivership.