Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2007-06-08 12:40:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Dean Del Mastro (Peterborough, CPC)",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"691871\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, it is a tremendous honour to speak today to this budget, which is a tremendous budget for Canadians. I have been on the record several times in this House complimenting the <a data-HoCid=\"78777\" href=\"/politicians/jim-flaherty/\" title=\"Jim Flaherty\">Minister of Finance</a> for the incredible job he did making the very difficult choices that, I believe, do put Canada on the road toward becoming a stronger, safer, better Canada.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691872\" data-originallang=\"en\">The opposition parties are working very hard to cloud the issues around the budget. They do not really want to talk about the positive effects of the budget because they are trying to come up with a reason as to why they would not vote in favour of it. Quite frankly, there are not very many reasons that one could legitimately stand in this House and say that they would not want to vote in favour of the budget. Instead, they come up with things that perhaps are not in the budget.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691873\" data-originallang=\"en\">However, we know that budgets are about choices. We know that there is a finite amount of resources with which the government has to work and we know there is an infinite demand for those resources. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691874\" data-originallang=\"en\">Often one of the things that we do not talk about is how these resources come into the government. We do not spend a lot of time talking about how tax dollars are raised, the tax dollars that then provide the services to Canadians and provide the capacity for the federal government to provide the services. It is important that we keep both of those in mind and that is exactly what this budget does.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691875\" data-originallang=\"en\">In continuing with the trend established in budget 2006, the finance minister and this government were very clear. We said that Canadians pay too much tax and we have continued to reduce the tax burden. With over $20 billion in tax reductions last year, 655,000 low income Canadians were completely removed from the tax rolls in budget 2006. In this budget year, we further increased that number to 885,000 low income Canadians. The people who many MPs in this House claim to stand for have been completely removed from the federal tax roll, and that is notwithstanding the GST reduction that was a tax break for all Canadians.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691876\" data-originallang=\"en\">The <a data-HoCid=\"78777\" href=\"/politicians/jim-flaherty/\" title=\"Jim Flaherty\">finance minister</a> has said time and time again that he believes Canadians pay too much tax and he has delivered on tax reductions for all Canadians. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691877\" data-originallang=\"en\">However, that is not all. We have also made significant commitments to health care. Canadians are constantly asking us to please support the health care system. They say that it is something they believe in and that it is what sets us apart as Canadians.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691878\" data-originallang=\"en\">The budget has done that. Record funding for health care has been set aside in this year's budget and it is set to increase exponentially each and every year. However, we went a step further. We also brought in money for the new wait times guarantee of $650 million. We have also provided $400 million for the establishment of the new Canada Health Infoway. This will help us to improve the efficiency of the health care system because now we will have the capacity to put everybody's health care records on an electronic system. This means that when people visit a hospital and their health care cards are swiped, all their health care information will be readily available. This is a great thing for Canadians. I know a lot of the members in this House, who will be voting against this budget, are very much in favour of that. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691879\" data-originallang=\"en\">Just a few moments ago the hon. member for <a data-HoCid=\"78351\" href=\"/politicians/gary-goodyear/\" title=\"Gary Goodyear\">Cambridge</a> said that members should not vote against the budget because there may be a few things they do not see in it. I know members from the NDP support this expenditure on health care. I cannot believe that they will stand and vote against these things that are so incredibly important. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691880\" data-originallang=\"en\">There is also incredible support for the municipalities in this budget. Last year we set in stone the full exemption of the GST for municipalities. That meant over $700,000 just in my area, in Peterborough county. That is a lot of money for Peterborough county. The support for municipalities continues because we have extended the gas tax, which grows exponentially each and every year, up to 2014.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691881\" data-originallang=\"en\">The extension in the gas tax rebate to my municipality meant some $26 million just for Peterborough. My goodness, that is a fortune for Peterborough. The municipality will be able to do a lot of good things with that money.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691882\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Canada has a robust economy and is enjoying great success. Often when the <a data-HoCid=\"78777\" href=\"/politicians/jim-flaherty/\" title=\"Jim Flaherty\">finance minister</a> speaks--</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"691871\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, je suis extr\u00eamement honor\u00e9 de parler du budget, un budget exceptionnel pour les Canadiens. J'ai f\u00e9licit\u00e9 \u00e0 de nombreuses reprises \u00e0 la Chambre le <a data-HoCid=\"78777\" href=\"/politicians/jim-flaherty/\" title=\"Jim Flaherty\">ministre des Finances</a> pour son excellent travail et pour les d\u00e9cisions tr\u00e8s difficiles qu'il a prises afin de faire du Canada un pays meilleur, plus solide et plus s\u00fbr.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691872\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les partis de l'opposition travaillent tr\u00e8s fort pour semer la confusion au sujet du budget. Ils ne veulent pas vraiment parler de ses effets positifs, puisqu'ils tentent de se trouver une raison de s'y opposer. Franchement, je ne vois pas pourquoi les d\u00e9put\u00e9s de l'opposition voteraient contre le budget. C'est pourquoi ils inventent des choses qui ne sont pas dans le budget.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691873\" data-originallang=\"en\">Cela dit, nous savons que les budget reposent sur des choix. Nous savons que le gouvernement dispose de ressources limit\u00e9es pour laquelle la demande est illimit\u00e9e.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691874\" data-originallang=\"en\">On oublie souvent de parler de la fa\u00e7on dont le gouvernement obtient ces ressources. On ne passe pas beaucoup de temps \u00e0 parler de la fa\u00e7on dont les imp\u00f4ts sont per\u00e7us, ces imp\u00f4ts qui servent \u00e0 financer les services dont jouissent les Canadiens et qui donnent au gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral la capacit\u00e9 d'offrir ces services. Il est important de garder cela \u00e0 l'esprit. C'est exactement ce que fait ce budget.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691875\" data-originallang=\"en\">Pour poursuivre sur la lanc\u00e9e du budget de 2006, le ministre des Finances et le gouvernement ont \u00e9t\u00e9 tr\u00e8s clairs: les Canadiens paient trop d'imp\u00f4t et nous avons continu\u00e9 \u00e0 r\u00e9duire leur fardeau fiscal. Gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 plus de 20 milliards de dollars de r\u00e9ductions d'imp\u00f4t l'an dernier, le budget de 2006 a ray\u00e9 655 000 Canadiens \u00e0 faible revenu des r\u00f4les d'imposition. Pour l'exercice en cours, nous avons fait passer ce nombre \u00e0 885 000 Canadiens \u00e0 faible revenu. Bien des gens que certains d\u00e9put\u00e9s pr\u00e9tendent d\u00e9fendre ont \u00e9t\u00e9 compl\u00e8tement ray\u00e9s des r\u00f4les d'imposition f\u00e9d\u00e9raux, sans compter la r\u00e9duction de la TPS dont tous les Canadiens profitent.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691876\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le <a data-HoCid=\"78777\" href=\"/politicians/jim-flaherty/\" title=\"Jim Flaherty\">ministre des Finances</a> a r\u00e9p\u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e0 maintes reprises qu'il croit que les Canadiens paient trop d'imp\u00f4t et il a accord\u00e9 des r\u00e9ductions d'imp\u00f4t \u00e0 tous les Canadiens.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691877\" data-originallang=\"en\">Cependant, ce n'est pas tout. Nous avons aussi pris des engagements importants en mati\u00e8re de sant\u00e9. Les Canadiens nous demandent constamment d'appuyer le r\u00e9gime de soins de sant\u00e9. Ils croient en ce r\u00e9gime qui nous caract\u00e9rise en tant que peuple. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691878\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le budget comprend tout cela. Des montants sans pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent ont \u00e9t\u00e9 pr\u00e9vus pour les soins de sant\u00e9 dans le budget de cette ann\u00e9e et ces montants doivent augmenter de fa\u00e7on exponentielle ann\u00e9e apr\u00e8s ann\u00e9e. Nous sommes toutefois all\u00e9s plus loin. Nous avons aussi d\u00e9bloqu\u00e9 650 millions de dollars pour la nouvelle garantie relative aux d\u00e9lais d'attente. Nous avons aussi accord\u00e9 400 millions de dollars pour l'\u00e9tablissement de la nouvelle Inforoute Sant\u00e9 Canada. Ces mesures nous aideront \u00e0 accro\u00eetre l'efficience du r\u00e9gime de soins de sant\u00e9, car nous aurons maintenant la capacit\u00e9 d'informatiser les dossiers m\u00e9dicaux de tout le monde. Ainsi, quand les gens iront \u00e0 l'h\u00f4pital, il suffira de glisser leur carte d'assurance-maladie dans le lecteur pour acc\u00e9der \u00e0 leur dossier m\u00e9dical. C'est une bonne chose pour les Canadiens. Je sais que de nombreux d\u00e9put\u00e9s qui voteront contre ce budget sont tr\u00e8s en faveur de cette mesure.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691879\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il y a quelques instants, le d\u00e9put\u00e9 de <a data-HoCid=\"78351\" href=\"/politicians/gary-goodyear/\" title=\"Gary Goodyear\">Cambridge</a> a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 que les d\u00e9put\u00e9s ne devraient pas voter contre le budget, car ils ne voient pas n\u00e9cessairement tout ce qu'il contient. Je sais que les d\u00e9put\u00e9s n\u00e9o-d\u00e9mocrates appuient ces d\u00e9penses dans le secteur de la sant\u00e9. Je ne peux pas croire qu'ils voteront contre ces programmes qui sont si importants.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691880\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le budget est \u00e9galement incroyablement avantageux pour les municipalit\u00e9s. L'an dernier, nous avons coul\u00e9 dans le b\u00e9ton l'exemption compl\u00e8te de la TPS pour les municipalit\u00e9s. Cela a repr\u00e9sent\u00e9 plus de 700 000 $ uniquement dans ma r\u00e9gion, le comt\u00e9 de Peterborough. C'est beaucoup d'argent pour le comt\u00e9 de Peterborough. L'aide aux municipalit\u00e9s se poursuit, car nous avons prolong\u00e9 la remise des recettes provenant de la taxe sur l'essence, qui croissent de fa\u00e7on exponentielle ann\u00e9e apr\u00e8s ann\u00e9e, jusqu'en 2014. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691881\" data-originallang=\"en\">Peterborough \u00e0 elle seule touchera quelque 26 millions de dollars gr\u00e2ce au prolongement de la remise d'une partie des recettes provenant de la taxe sur l'essence. Ma foi, c'est une fortune pour Peterborough. La municipalit\u00e9 pourra faire beaucoup de bonnes choses avec cet argent.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"691882\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le Canada a une \u00e9conomie dynamique et couronn\u00e9e de succ\u00e8s. Souvent, lorsque le <a data-HoCid=\"78777\" href=\"/politicians/jim-flaherty/\" title=\"Jim Flaherty\">ministre des Finances</a> parle ...</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2007/6/8/dean-del-mastro-3/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/dean-del-mastro/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/392/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "2139428",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Budget Implementation Act, 2007",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2007/6/8/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2007%2F6%2F8%2F"
    }
}