Thanks, Chair.
Let me be very clear. We support the programs and the benefits that Bill C-14 is delivering for Canadians—let there be no doubt about that—yet I remind members that there are still millions of Canadians who have been left behind, including those in the most heavily impacted industries, like tourism, hospitality, airlines and charities, and a host of small and medium-sized industries that were promised targeted, sector-specific support but haven't received it.
Bill C-14, while helpful, does not in any way address these thousands of SMEs that have fallen through the cracks and either have closed up shop or are struggling to survive, so obviously we encourage the government to provide this support.
The one element of Bill C-14 that we cannot support is the government's attempt to increase our country's debt ceiling by the massive, unprecedented and unwarranted amount of $663 billion. This amount goes far beyond the government's current borrowing needs. Indeed, the government has already built in an undefined contingency fund of $87 billion, and then, on top of that, they've set aside another undefined $100 billion of stimulus funding.
When asked what this money might be spent on, the finance minister really refused to say. On top of that, the government has added another $220 billion, without saying what this money might be used for. When asked about this, the minister effectively said we should not worry, that we should trust them, and that there's no reason to believe they'd actually use that borrowing authority.