Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
HOUSE TO DO THE SAME.
THANK YOU.
>> Speaker of the House: THANK
YOU.
RESPONSE.
THE MEMBER FROM TRINITY-SPADINA.
ORDER, PLEASE.
>> Honourable Member: I WILL
BE SPEAKING TO THIS BILL IN
TERMS OF WHAT IT MAY OR MAY NOT
BE DOING.
AND I WILL ALSO SPEAK TO WHAT
THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING THAT I,
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE.
I'M NOT QUITE THERE, MINISTER.
OTHERS WERE BUT NOT ME.
AND WHITE TAKES SOME PEOPLE A
LONG TIME TO GET THERE, YOU GOT
TO WORK AT IT.
I WILL HAVE A LOT MORE TO SAY
ABOUT WHAT YOUR GOVERNMENT IS
NOT DOING, BUT I'LL GET TO THAT
BECAUSE I'VE GOT A FEW MINUTES.
ON THE ISSUE -- ON THIS ISSUE,
ON THIS BILL NEW DEMOCRATS WILL
BE LOOKING FOR A NUMBER OF
THINGS.
WE'LL BE LOOKING TO ENSURE THAT
THERE ARE REAL JOB GUARANTEES
BUILT INTO AGREEMENTS WITH
COMPANIES.
THERE ARE TOO MANY INSTANCES OF
COMPANIES POCKETING GOVERNMENT
MONEY AND THEN LAYING OFF THEIR
WORKERS.
WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR ASSURANCES
THAT MONEY ISN'T SIMPLY BEING
DIVERTED FROM OTHER ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES INTO THIS
NEW PROGRAMME.
IN OTHER WORDS, THAT THERE WILL
BE A POSITIVE NET ECONOMIC
BENEFIT TO THE PROVINCE ONCE
FISCAL OFFSETS ARE TAKEN INTO
ACCOUNT.
AND WE'LL BE INTERESTED IN THE
MIX OF LOANS AND GRANTS THE NEW
FUND WILL OFFER.
WILL THIS BE STRICTLY A GRANT
PROGRAMME, AS IT'S EASTERN
ONTARIO EQUIVALENT OR WILL IT
OFFER LOANS AS WELL?
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS
THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT.
BUT I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU WE HAVE
BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE
DIRECTION OF THIS GOVERNMENT,
NOT JUST YOURS, BUT
CONSERVATIVES AS WELL.
BECAUSE FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS
BOTH YOU AND TORIES HAVE BEEN
GIVING AWAY ACROSS THE BOARD TAX
REDUCTIONS THAT HAVE CREATED
VERY FEW JOBS.
NOW, TORIES ARE -- TORIES ARE
REAL BELIEVERS, BUT WHEN I HEAR
LIBERALS EXPOUND THE SAME IDEAS,
I BEGIN TO WORRY.
I BEGIN TO WORRY BECAUSE YOU
GUYS OFTEN WANT TO SAY THAT
YOU'RE DIFFERENT, BUT YOU ARE
NOT.
YOU ARE NOT.
FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS YOU
BOYS AND GALS HAVE BEEN CUTTING
CORPORATE TAX CUTS AS IF YOU
WERE NO DIFFERENT THAN THEY.
IT'S TRUE.
IT'S TRUE.
BUT IT SEEMS TO ME LIBERALS ARE
TORIES IN A HURRY, AND THEY HAVE
BEEN FOR THE LAST EIGHT LONG
YEARS.
THERE IS -- THERE IS, MINISTER
OF FINANCE, ABSOLUTELY NO
EVIDENCE THAT BY GIVING
TAXPAYERS' MONEY AWAY, BILLIONS
AND BILLIONS EVERY YEAR, IS
CREATING ANY JOBS.
AND, MINISTER OF ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT, I KNOW YOU LOOK
QUIZZICAL ABOUT THE WHOLE A
FAUR, BUT YOU KNOW IF YOU --
AFFAIR BUT IF YOU COULD PRODUCE
ANY EVIDENCE THAT WOULD SATISFY
ME AND CITIZENS AND TAXPAYERS,
WHICH IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE
TORIES, THAT SOMEHOW ALL THESE
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT YOU'RE
TAKING AWAY FROM CITIZENS TO
GIVE TO THEM HAS ACTUALLY
PRODUCED JOBS.
GIVE ME A LITTLE EVIDENCE.
I'M NOT ASKING FOR MUCH,
MINISTER.
JUST A LITTLE BIT, A PIECE OF
PAPER WITH ONE FACT SHEET
TALKING ABOUT ALL THE GREAT
EVIDENCE, THE PILE OF PAPER THAT
YOU HAVE, YOU AND MR. DRUMMOND
HAVE THAT GIVING OUR MONEY AWAY
TO BANKS AND OTHERS, INSURANCE
COMPANIES AND OTHER CORPORATIONS
IS HELPING ANYBODY.
FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS
CORPORATIONS TAKE THE MONEY AND
THEY BANK IT.
THEY KEEP IT.
THEY STORE IT.
THEY DON'T PUT MONEY BACK INTO
THE INVESTMENTS IN THEIR PLANT,
IN MACHINERY AND OTHER
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
THEY'RE SIMPLY NOT DOING THAT.
OTHER COUNTRIES ARE.
BUT WE IN CANADA ARE NOT DOING A
GREAT JOB.
AND YET WE KEEP CUTTING
CORPORATE TAXES EACH AND EVERY
YEAR, AND YOU WOULD THINK WITH
ALL BILLIONS GIVE, THAT YOU
LIBERALS GIVE, THAT THEY WOULD
INVEST IN THEIR OWN PLANTS, IN
MACHINERY, INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY.
THEY'RE NOT DOING IT.
SHOULDN'T SOME LIBERALS ASK THE
QUESTION WHY?
AT LEAST AS I OFTEN SAY, ONE OF
YOU?
NOT ONE OF YOU IS ASKING THAT
QUESTION?
WOULD THAT I WOULD BE IN YOUR
CAUCUS MEETINGS TO HEAR THAT
MAYBE THERE ARE SOME OF YOU
ASKING THESE QUESTIONS.
BUT PLEASE BE BOLD ENOUGH IN
THIS LEGISLATURE TO ADMIT THAT
YOU ARE DOING THAT.
LOOK, THERE ARE OTHER
JURISDICTIONS.
MANITOBA AND QUEBEC, WHO HAVE
DONE MUCH BETTER THAN WE IN
THESE RECESSIONARY PERIODS.
THEY'VE DONE MUCH BETTER.
AND THEY HAVE TARGETED
INVESTMENTS, INVESTMENTS, TAX
CREDITS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR MAN
TO BA AND QUEBEC.
WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE OF THAT
SO THAT WE CAN CREATE GOOD