order online. >> the british house of commons is in recess for the easter holiday until april 26. "prime minister's questions" returns on may 21. return to debate with conservative prime minister stephen harper and the other three party leaders. yes served since 2006 as a leader of the minority government. he hopes the conservative party will pick up 14 more seats to hold the majority in the house of commons. polling day in canada is made to. all members of the comments are up for the election. here are some highlights from the past debate with party leaders. we begin with the question on the economy from a canadian citizen.

>> is the policy putting money in the pockets of wealthy corporations to have failed to share the wealth in the past? >> we are having an election because you could not tell the truth to the parliament about the money you are going to spend on jets, jails, and corporate tax giveaways. that is what this viewer cannot understand. we're in the middle of the biggest deficit in canadian history. you did not tell the truth to parliament. you are the first from minister found in contempt of parliament. you are trying to persuade canadians you are not cutting corporate taxes. you cut it down from 16.5%. no one can understand why that makes sense in the middle of the toughest deficit we have seen because of your waste and mismanagement. >> the contempt motion that you pushed was when you pushed because you have more votes than we do. i do not agree. i do not think it is based on

realistic facts. you were determined to have an election within the public wanted it or not. we should be focused on the economy. we're keeping taxes down to create jobs. that is working. creation is superior to any other advanced country coming out of the recession. we're making sure that canadians can participate in the economy of the future. we're opening trade markets. these are fundamental things to keep the country strong and make sure we can deliver affordable -- >> this is about the economy. you have to tell the truth about the economy. canadians do not understand why you are prepared to spend $30 billion of fighter jets, $13 billion on prisons, and $6 billion in corporate tax giveaways when we are in the middle of a serious deficit. the numbers do not add up. we will not be able to pay for

health care. you are not telling the truth to the people. this is about the economy. it is about telling the truth about the choices that you want to foist upon the canadian people. >> the current jets we have flying over libya today will reached the end of their life at the end of this decade. we have decided to do what other parties have supported. that is replacing those at the end of their life. we will not be spending a dime on them for at least five years. then we will be buying them for over 20 years. the other party leaders want you to believe that by canceling the purchase fiver tenures down the road, they can finance campaign promises today. [talking over each other] >> what we know, mr. harper, is the billions you want to spend

will have to come from health care and education and child care and things people need today. that is where the money will have to come from. you may reject it. the fact is -- >> this election -- [talking over each other] >> the conservative government is the problem with the economy. it is the right-wing proposals of reckless policies that got us into the mess we're in. that is why people cannot make ends meet. retirement security is up in the air. many people are still out of work. 200,000 good paying jobs were lost that you have not recovered. your policies do not address those. >> i reject the choices that mr. ayton and others are

presenting say we have to choose between those in uniform or health care and between employers and employees. we have balanced policies to move forward together. that is what canada is emerging from the global recession faster and stronger than others. we have a balanced approach that makes investments in people when we can afford it and keeping taxes low. >> the question asked was how much a plane costs. use of $78 million. -- you said $78 million. others have said different amounts. can you come with fox and figures to make the population know -- the facts and figures to make the population know what we're going to spend and why? >> we have been clear about the budget numbers for these. the important point to remember is these are 5 to 10 years down the road.

why is the opposition making an issue of this now? they need money today to pay for promises the country cannot afford. you cannot pay for promises today by canceling an aircraft purchase five or 10 years from now. >> if we have the corporate tax rate 18%, which can invest in learning. we can give every single person who wants to attend university in learning pass for it. that is a billion dollar investment in post-secondary investment. the viewer cannot understand poor economic management. >> you are not able to invest in health care, services, and education by raising taxes. you do that are growing the economy. that is the way you create tax revenue. that is what canada is doing. the tax rates we have today were

set by liberal and ndp governments across the country to make sure we have competitive rates. if we raise the rates now, we will send a negative signal to investors. the foremost expert on this in the country says will cost 200,000 jobs at a time when we are creating jobs. it will cost $40 billion investments desmans are coming into the country. >> rather than a big corporate tax cut to the banks and oil companies put away in reserves and give it away in bonuses, we should follow the ndp plan. our plans to bid for $500 to any company that creates a new job. -- our plan is to give 45 $1 to any company that creates a new job. we should be helping the small businesses. that is what you used to be about. we would create jobs across this country right now.

>> the 22nd response. >> we've cut rates for businesses big and small. the canadian chamber of commerce does not support the tax hikes of any of the parties. >> they supported our small business tax cuts. you better read the press releases. >> i did get e-mail from people asking about this. the growth rates are about 2%. you are all promising to keep taxes reasonably low. you are all promising to erase deficits that are very high. can any of you really do this? let's hear from you all. >> you make your highest priority. that is what we have done. we have said from the beginning we laid out the fiscal plan. the international monetary fund and others say it is credible. we have been clear. we will not cut the rate of increase in transfers for health care and education. that is why it will take us

three or four years to balance the budget. we will make sure that we maintain and continue to fund those programs. that is ultimately what canadians think it is all about, keeping the economy strong to continue to deliver these services. >> it is going to be about making choices. mr. harper is trying to tell us that we can have everything. huge tax cuts and huge expenditures on jets, continued increases in health spending. this is the stephen harper that has been affected by the culture. it does mean making choices. some things we will not be able to do if we're going to fund health care. we set out some things that should not be done. mr. harper's platform includes an $11 billion hole on things he says he will not spend money on. will it be food inspectors, the military? what services will be lost? we say it is important to make choices. canadians will have a chance to

do that on may 2. >> a straight question deserves a straight answer. tap the corporate tax rate to $18%. you stop building the big prisons. you save billions. that allows you to invest 6% to improve canadian health care. this is choice time. mr. harper is offering new fantasy economics. he cannot explain how he will sustain health care. we can. >> it is about choices. we should stop giving the large companies advantages in the billions of dollars. we should stop the money going into tax incentives. it is $3 billion a year plus two other companies. those are just to give examples. >> mr. harper?

>> our philosophy is clear. you fund services like health care by making sure you keep your economy growing and creating jobs. you do not do that by raising taxes. the other parties are proposing that they can find all of these new promises of $60 billion by increasing tax rates on job creators. experts say that is going to cost us 200,000 jobs and $40 billion in investments. you grow the economy. >> speak the truth, mr. harper. we are proposing that instead of giving tax breaks to the richest and most powerful companies that-canadians, we are saying to lower the taxes on small businesses and help the small businesses to create jobs with $4,500 per job created. that is what we're proposing. >> we cut taxes for businesses

big and small. the party voted against those tax reductions. the new democratic party will never cut taxes. >> that is too much to hear you say that. it is not true. >> mr. harper, your numbers do not add up. our numbers do. if you take corporate tax of 18%, and save $6 billion. it is a good, competitive rate. it will attract jobs and investments. that $6 billion you can invest in education. the biggest boost we can give to the economy is investing in education of our children. we can do this without raising taxes on canadian families. >> every credible analyst and business groups as if you raise taxes, you will hurt growth, jobs, and revenue. that is the truth. that is the path we do not want to go down. >> we need to roll back payroll taxes for small and medium businesses that do the hiring.

we have unemployment rates of 16% among young canadians. that is something you have not done anything about in office. if we create an incentive to hire a smthe young people, that will create 170,000 jobs. >> we have something we're waiting for parliament to pass. tove called on parliament pass these measures to help. . >> spending $17 billion in five years out of the implant insurance fund. this is what the authority budget is proposing. they are also for that measure and the proposals you have made. >> i am a resident of b.c. my concern is for safety of people in the country.

i would like to know what the government plans on doing to deal with the criminals and light sentences being handed down by the courts. >> you are a lucky man if you live in gibson's, b.c. we should not import failed policies from the united states. mega prisons and mandatory minimums have failed in the united states. this is canada. we have to have a policy that is right for canada. if we're going to be tough on crime, we have to be tough on guns. harper wants to gut the gun registry. we need to invest in crime- prevention. the gang violence is a huge problem. that may be what our friend from british columbia is worried about. we have to give the police the tools to get tough on these drug-related things and lock them up where we need to. the key thing is we have to

learn from the phil years of american criminal justice policy. we have to get tough on guns, investing crime-prevention come and provide better victim services. that is being smarter on crime. that would be our approach. >> this government made a lot of demagoguery about being tough on crime. chris burke is soft on crime in his own office. -- harper is soft on crime in his own office. the criminal rate is declining. the american model imported to canada would be [unintelligible] it seems their philosophy is more guns and big prisons. this is a dangerous cocktail. we have to be responsible. the early releases at 1/6 of the

sentences, letting them out of prison. we propose to those things. i think it was responsible. trying to eliminate guns is an error that will affect society. almost everyone in canada thinks so. >> when i talk about making criminal justice policy in canada, one of the places we can learn from is quebec's policy on young offenders. that is the kind of emphasis on rehabilitation that we need. we have to get a balance in our justice policy. when people commit criminal violence against individuals, they have got to do time. there have to be consequences for actions that threaten public safety. we have to get the police resources. we have to maintain an interco

gun registry. we have to work on rehabilitation for young offenders. it is not an unimportant fact that so many people in our prisons have not even finish high school. we have to think about what that means. we have to invest in education and make sure people get on the right path. this is the kind of policy we have not seen from the harper government. >> the first ones to modify the young offenders policy was the liberal party. system in quebec is good. one thing i am worried about is that mr. harper said he will not come back on abortion or capital punishment. they do not come with a proposal made by the government. one of the members is coming

with a private bill that is supported by most of the tories if not all of them. one of the dangers is that houses a majority in the house of commons. one of the members will come. they will try to make abortion illegal. it could be the same thing with capital punishment to reinstate that. >> i think what he is referring to is also the politics of fear. crime is always a serious problem. when you have had her purse stolen or been the victim a personal assault, it matters to you. you want consequences. you also have to understand that crime is not increasing in our country. the politics of fear is designed to exploit and create fear.

mr. harper specializes in the politics of fear on the crime agenda. we need a balanced policy based on evidence and not ideologies. this is the man who tried to take apart the long form census because he does not like the fax that disagree with his policies. we policies based on the facts as we see them. tough on crime where we need tougher sentences. rehabilitation, crime- prevention. we need more investment in crime prevention and the victims' services. we need a balanced approach to the problem. >> he is right in saying that canadians do want a balanced system when it comes to criminal justice. rehabilitation is important. it is also important that punishment fit the crime. we have had important bills before parliament that the other parties said they supported. we have had bills to have

mandatory penalties for dinks for -- gangs involved in drug crimes. we want to give store owners the right to defend themselves without being charged. these bills are sitting before parliament. parliament will not pass them. i am hoping our conservative government gets back. will package the bills together and get them passed. this is what canadians expect us to do. they expect us to take crime seriously and have punishments that fit the crime. >> i am glad you are supporting the legislation we proposed around david chen and small- business owners in downtown toronto. you have not fulfilled any of your commitments. he promised 2500 more police officers. that promise was not kept. policing is very important if we are to reduce crime levels.

we do need prosecution in key areas. we would like to see carjacking and home invasions and the recording of a young person in a gang to be an offense. we have to focus on prevention. you have to prevent the crimes from taking place if you are going to reduce crime levels where we want to. that means strong support for programs for young people. if we give young people positive choice after school so that when a trouble maker tries to tempt them into a life of crime, instead they have something very positive to do. all over the country there are people working hard on these programs. it is fantastic. not all of them can manage to access these programs through tax credits and that kind of thing. we have to support the vulnerable neighborhoods.

that has been a failure on this issue. >> i would like to know what your vision is for canada on the world stage. do you believe our country should have a more prominent role internationally? what will you do to regain canada's positive influence in the international arena? >> mr. harper, your the first prime minister in the history of canada to lose the seat that we were eligible to occupied on the security council of the united nations. on the g-20 summit, we had an opportunity to lead. you spent billions of dollars and 72 hours and there's not a person in canada who can remember assistance of -- a substantial outcome of that conference.

anything you cannot control, you want to shut down. that is no way to build international prestige. these church organizations that work in africa for 30 years with support from the canadian government, for a ideological reasons you shut them down. when independent organizations try to represent human rights around the world, you destroyed the organizations. you cannot lead in this country if you show sold respect for democracy. you have to let different voices flourish in foreign affairs. >> i was recently at an international meeting dealing with foreign aid. that is what the government of canada does. let me talk about the g-8 and g- 20. we're in a global economy. the recession came to this country through no fault of our own because of forces in the global economy. the conferences have been vital to respond to the crisis to

ensure we did not have a great depression. we're now coming into recovery. we set important goals in the summer including debt reduction targets for the world. canada will achieve those ahead of time. we are in a global economy. you have to be part of the global conferences. you have to be leading the conferences. the world thinks canada is the world's leading the global recovery. >> the world is also asking what happened to canada. why is the government being cited with contempt? why is it known as a secretive government that will not allow information to the citizens? why can we not have open debates about foreign policy issues instead of having groups being shut down? yours is the most closed and frustration when it comes to discussing the issues the we've seen in some time. will you support my suggestion that we arrange with the auditor for the report on the funds for

the g-8 and g-20 to be released now that it has been leaked? will you go along with that? >> i would be happy to see the report. >> let's bring it out. what are you afraid of? >> we encourage the auditor general to release the report. we do not like to see documents floating around. the auditor general says it cannot be relied on. [talking over each other] >> the world is looking and saying that canada has the strongest recovery of any country on earth. suddenly it is plunged into the fourth election in seven years. canadians do not know why we're doing this. i will tell you what we have to do. we have to get parliament back to work, focused on the economy, passing good measures for people that we can afford

without raising taxes. >> we know exactly why we're having an election. we're having an election because you did not tell parliament the truth about your budget costs or any of the numbers. they became unbelievable. the parliament could not have confidence in anything he said including on international aid. "he minister answered todaa "not into a document and misled the house of commons. the confidence of parliament was lost. you did not tell canadians the truth. you have used democracy. that is why we're having an election. that is not correct. the numbers in our budget have been verified by experts. these have not been challenged. we're having an election because the other three political parties saw an opportunity to go after the government. that is fine. i do not think canadians agree. i think they feel we shall be

focused on squabbling. we should be focused on the economy. we have good things in the budget to help pensioners, families, unemployed workers, the manufacturing sector. these of the things parliament should be dealing with and passing. >> you have said that a prime minister should always respect the decisions made by the house of commons by the elected members. otherwise, the prime minister would act without moral authority. you said that any right at that time. since your prime minister every single time you do not agree with the decision made by the house of commons, you do not remember what you are preaching before. i would like an explanation. >> we have run the longest

minority government in canadian history. we've got a lot done. we do not always agree. that is the reality of parliament. the government attempts to listen to all the other parties. the recent budget had elements the other parties asked for. when you are the government, if you have to take responsibility for the decision. you have to be accountable to the people. that is what we're running on. with a strong economic record. -- we have a strong economic record. >> we have had so many instances where the house of commons has put forward important ideas that you have rejected. i am thinking of our climate change bill. it went through the house of commons twice. you used the senate the pact with your friends -- that you packed with your friends and fund-raisers. you used the senate to defeat

the bill that called for accountability so that we could have a climate change plan that would move us forward. it is such in this respect for democracy -- it is such a disrespect for democracy that is not acceptable. >> we have been strongly opposed to the bill. it has no achievable objectives. it just sets targets. you cannot achieve something with just targets. you have to have the measures that will achieve that. when it comes to climate change, we're working internationally on the copenhagen accord. it is a framework. we're working with the obama administration on a continental approach for integrated industries as the opposition asked for. we're going to invest billions of dollars in green energy. that is what canadians want. that is