The Budget  Mr. Speaker, it is true that the former government did leave this country with a $5 billion surplus, which is certainly remarkable and something that is noteworthy. The way the former government did that was through prudent fiscal management and achieving a balanced budget, which then led to a surplus.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, where do I start? The member does want assurances. At the end of the day, the assurances the member is looking for are found in a record that the member opposite and his party will not accept. Other than that, I have no further proof. With regard to the comment, calling the Prime Minister a liar, when the Prime Minister made the promise to spend $10 billion, which has now turned into $30 billion, that was in fact untruthful.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, with regard to the partnership between post-secondary and industry, and co-operative placement initiatives, I will reserve judgment until the details are further released. I support the intent of this project, because greater links between employers and post-secondary institutions are certainly needed.

Physician-Assisted Dying  Mr. Speaker, every single large organization within the persons with disabilities community shares the same opinion on assisted dying: they want a prior review process of non-medical social vulnerabilities for every patient. This request comes from their shared experience. Poverty, isolation, and temporary depression often accompany a person's adaptation to a new disability.

The Budget  If I could have your attention, please, we do have a member who is speaking. If we could have a little respect in the room, we would certainly appreciate it. Thank you. I am afraid it will only be about 30 seconds more, but please go ahead.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the increased access to the student loans program is positive and builds upon the legacy of the Conservative government to increase accessibility to post-secondary education. Though it is true that grants will increase slightly this year, it is equally true that most students will see a decrease in their grant amounts as the Liberals implement a progressive income bracket for grants in subsequent years.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London. While I was pleased to see some measures, such as a short-term extension of employment insurance benefits for oil and gas workers in my riding and some investments in social housing, I found that the budget borrowed heavily from future generations, without a plan for job creation and without any sort of thought toward returning to a balanced budget.

Situation in Indigenous Communities  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question. I may be misunderstanding you, but it would appear that you are insinuating that perhaps government dollars—

Situation in Indigenous Communities  Mr. Speaker, I may be misunderstanding the member, but my understanding of what was said was that government dollars would help structure—he used the word “structure”—and would perhaps solve the issue before us here today. As I said in my speech, I am not convinced that this is about putting another government program in place.

Situation in Indigenous Communities  Mr. Speaker, I do not believe there was a question there, but I will respond to the hon. member's comments. I believe that money is a tool. It is not the answer. It is not the solution. It is simply a tool. It is something that we use, and if we use it correctly, it can perhaps create a solution or contribute to a solution.

Situation in Indigenous Communities  Mr. Speaker, collectively as members of Parliament and as Canadians we were shocked to find out about the recent events in Attawapiskat. As members of Parliament, we tend to be hopeful individuals. Though we may not agree on the method, I believe that all of us share a common goal and that common goal is to make Canada a better place.

Citizenship Act  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member pointed out that under Bill C-6, inhumane acts committed abroad can result in the revocation of citizenship. However, those same acts committed right here on Canadian territory could not result in someone's citizenship being revoked under Bill C-6. I had the opportunity to sit down with a number of new citizens in my riding, who shared some of their concerns with regard to the legislation that is coming forward.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party is using this trip and its position as government to fill party coffers in order to help out the friends of the Prime Minister. At Christmastime, the Liberals were told that they had to stop this cash-for-access flow. This is exactly what they are doing now, however, only three short months later.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, January through March is the peak season in the oil patch, but instead of working hard to provide for their families, western Canadians are now contemplating what they are going to do when their EI benefits run out. Yesterday, the Prime Minister refused to commit to anything until his anti-energy budget comes down, but the crisis is now and action is needed immediately.

Screamin Brothers  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the astounding achievement of two young men from my riding of Lethbridge, Alberta. In the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, J.R., at the age of 10, and Dawson, at the age of 9, wanted to find a way to help their newly adopted brother who was stranded in an orphanage in Haiti.