Discussion · Government Orders
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Québécois
“The government's proposed fund is not like sovereign wealth funds in other countries. It relies on borrowed money, and the Prime Minister will choose the projects. I want my colleague to explain why the government's comparison is wrong.”
“Mr. Speaker, my question for my hon. colleague is pretty obvious. Some people are criticizing us for joining forces with the Conservatives because we are against the idea. That has nothing to do with it. We analyzed the government’s proposal, and it says this is similar to other funds in other countries. Not one of those funds was paid for by borrowing money and paying interest. Not only is this not a sovereign wealth fund, it is also not a politically independent fund because, at the end of the day, the projects will be selected by the Prime Minister. What does this fund have to do with Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund or Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund? I would like my colleague to explain to our Liberal colleagues just how off the mark their comparison is.”
Mr. Speaker, my question for my hon. colleague is pretty obvious. Some people are criticizing us for joining forces with the Conservatives because we are against the idea. That has nothing to do with it. We analyzed the government’s proposal, and it says this is similar to other funds in other countries. Not one of those funds was paid for by borrowing money and paying interest. Not only is this not a sovereign wealth fund, it is also not a politically independent fund because, at the end of the day, the projects will be selected by the Prime Minister. What does this fund have to do with Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund or Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund? I would like my colleague to explain to our Liberal colleagues just how off the mark their comparison is.