Thank you. I do want to move on, because there are other folks I'd like to get to.
One of my siblings is a member of the UFCW and has been a member of the union for a long time, I think over 30 or 35 years. The industry has changed. The grocery industry, if I can speak to that, has drastically changed in Canada. We've led on the federal side with legislation on changes to the Canada Labour Code.
Unfortunately, in the province of Ontario, Premier Ford has basically come in and stripped away the rights that workers earned and deserved in the last changes he made in his government. It's really unfortunate to see. I do need to make that point, because it's really taking workers' rights back in time, not forward, which we should be doing. That's the way we should build Canada, not in the way his government is doing.
I will turn to Mr. Lee.
Ian, I've always enjoyed your presentations here at committee. I've been on the committee since the beginning of our government. You know, we live in a really wonderful world. We have the best of all worlds, and sometimes the worst of all worlds. Global poverty is at record lows. Poverty in Canada has been trending down since the 1960s with the introduction of old age security, health care and GIS. We brought in the Canada child benefit. We've done a lot of measures, including a 10% increase in the GIS.
On trade, I agree with Mr. Poilievre to a certain extent. Trade tends to lift all boats. There are some losers, but it has reduced global poverty to what I would say are continuing lower levels.
What do you think of our government's trade agenda? Then we'll move on to the debt and deficit numbers afterwards.