Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am a bit uncomfortable discussing the report from Mr. Page and his colleagues, and mixing it with “salespeople” from two chartered banks and the presentation of an individual, because the forecasters have led us into sort of a stratospheric projection, in my opinion. Everyone knows that projections are to forecasters like a lamppost is to a drunk; they provide support, not light.
In the long-term, we will all be dead. Ladies and gentlemen, I also think that the projection I can make is that you are mistaken. In four or five years, we will for sure come back here and say that the figures from TD, Mr. Poschmann or the Scotiabank Group were all wrong. But that's irrelevant here. I would like to come back to Mr. Page because he represents parliamentarians and that's why we are trying to work with him.
You are actually missing information. This is very important to me because you are saying that the government manages its revenue by following its very Conservative fiscal policy and, as a result, is keeping the corporate tax cuts. Economists tell us that it will be profitable in the long term. Of course they do!
Meanwhile, the government shows us—and history tends to repeat itself—its inability to be in control of its expenditures. In addition, it does not give you access to information and that worries me.
You are saying that your assumption of growth has to be 3.2%. That's very brave of you. Not everything is wrong in your comments. There are some interesting things. But I have some questions. Since we are all dipping into the same fiscal pot, that shows us that the fiscal imbalance has never been resolved in Canada. Both levels of government are picking the same taxpayers' pockets. The current risk is in the health agreement the minister wants to resume, saying that, in the next few years, he will base it on the consumer loans index rather than the needs of the workforce. That makes no sense.
Although you have little or no information, don't you get the impression that this government is pushing the snow over to the next-door neighbour, except that the snow will not melt and the provincial governments will be facing huge imbalances that will become unmanageable?