Mr. Speaker, I can tell my friend from Winnipeg North that I actually took out my first farm mortgage back in 1984, at the tender age of 19. It was under a Liberal government.
Do members remember what interest rates were back in the early 1980s because of the way the Liberals managed the economy and managed consumer debt? Interest rates were up to the 20% level. I paid over 21% on that first mortgage for the first five years, and it was almost impossible to make those payments.
Canadians may have been spending a little more actively during the economic recovery because we have been able to keep interest rates so low. That is good for our businesses. That is, overall, good for the economy. It has been good for how the country has moved forward.
The IMF, the World Bank, and all the major credit rating agencies continue to rate this country as one of the safest places to invest. Just recently we were again called one of the top countries in the world to do business.
We like to brag about how great it is to live in this country, not just because of its economy but because of the high standard of living we enjoy under this Conservative government.