Mr. Speaker, I know my hon. friend is having the time of his life bashing the government on the income trust decision.
This was a difficult decision. As the member rightly points out, when we took office, we did not think this move would be necessary. However, the hon. member knows that the landscape changed rapidly with sectors either moving to the trust model or saying that they would move to the trust model and planning to do so. This means we would have most of our businesses in Canada paying no tax. That could not happen because then the tax burden would shift entirely on to the shoulders of individuals.
As I have said before in the House, it would have been easy for the government simply to save its political capital, not take any criticism, especially the criticism the hon. member is enjoying levelling at us, and do nothing about this. However, we have a duty to our country and we have a duty to the future of individual Canadians who need tax revenue for these services, and we moved to do what was right for Canada.
I hope Canadians will appreciate that and support it. I note that the government has kept its promise in every instance where it is able. The hon. member knows this and I think he should applaud that, instead of being so mischievous about something he knew had to be done and he himself said that it was absolutely the right thing to do.