The Budget  Mr. Speaker, it is certainly my privilege to speak to our economic action plan, phase two, and our low tax plan for jobs and growth. I think it is especially important, following those very wise words of all the members who are just leaving. So, that actually was special to hear

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, everyone recognizes that we had a global recession. We had some significant stimulus money that we had to provide and we had the support in the House to do so. I find it ironic that one minute the opposition members are saying to spend more money and the next say t

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague brings up a very important point, especially when he noted that Liberals made very liberal use of this particular fund and moved the funds into general coffers. One of the first things our government did was to create an arm's-length group to manag

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I am glad I have the opportunity to respond very directly to this question. Since the 1990s, the federal government has always had the role of facilitating what the provinces wanted to do in terms of the HST and we have done that. We have also stated very clearly t

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Souris—Moose Mountain. As this is the first time I have stood in the 41st Parliament, I would very much like to thank the my constituents of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo who saw fit to elect me for a second time. I pledge

The Budget  Madam Speaker, the hon. member has raised a very important question around seniors who have worked very hard and who are struggling on guaranteed income supplement and old age security. That is why we increased that amount. People diminish the amount and the value of it. When I

The Budget  Madam Speaker, many in the House were incredibly supportive of the volunteer firefighter tax credit and were delighted to see it in this budget. There are probably 16 volunteer firefighter departments throughout my riding, which I visited during the election campaign. They were,

The Budget  Madam Speaker, all I can say is when I visited the volunteer firefighter departments, they were absolutely thrilled with our government moving forward on this initiative.

Birthday Wishes  Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Mr. Alex Sim of Kamloops as he celebrates his 86th birthday today with 419 Squadron in Cold Lake, Alberta. At the age of 16, Mr. Sim tried to join the RCAF during the Second World War, but was rejected because of his age. Undeterred, h

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Calgary East for talking so clearly to the measures that we have taken for seniors and also how important it is. There are two issues I want to ask him about. I will try to squeeze them into one question. We hear the opposition

Supporting Vulnerable Seniors and Strengthening Canada's Economy Act  Mr. Speaker, I too was at the committee meeting and I saw the NDP vote for the bill. I thought the NDP members were reassured when they heard the imperative reasons for the increase to $300 from $250. They also heard that the legislation would create transparency. Could the Parl

Supporting Vulnerable Seniors and Strengthening Canada's Economy Act  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate my colleague on his first speech in the House. I look forward to working with him on the finance committee in the months and years to come. We heard very clearly from officials that people who want a mortgage and do not have more th

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am certainly glad to have the opportunity to stand here today and speak to the motion regarding small business taxation and our Conservative government's strong economic record, especially in this area. Since forming government in 2006, we have focused on lowering

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I did not hear a question in all of that, but I will take the opportunity to perhaps respond to some of the comments. First, our government absolutely supports the motion for lower taxes. We believe it is important for large businesses to be competitive as well as s

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, we are really happy to have announced in the budget the extension of the home eco-energy grant. It is a very popular and I think many people look forward to it. People have called my office asking many questions about it. It is a very warmly-received move by the gove