Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. It's a pleasure to be here and it's always an honour and a privilege to serve the Canadian people.
I think it's fair to say, and I think everyone around the table is pretty much agreed, that we are dealing with some very challenging economic times.
The numbers on the uptick or increase in bankruptcies perhaps don't really tell the whole story, because when a business goes bankrupt or an individual goes bankrupt, it has real impacts on Canadians. That's potentially a parent who has to sell their home or have their house foreclosed on. That's a child, as we get up to Thanksgiving and Christmas, who won't have presents or who may not have enough to eat. These are serious consequences.
This government has just undergone a cabinet shuffle, and it appears, from media reports and even internal leaks, that they're looking in a different direction. Given the difficult economic times that we are headed into, I think the Minister of Finance owes it to the Canadian people to tell them in what direction they are going.
I heard Mr. Baker's comments with respect to the dysfunction of this committee and I agree. I also heard some of Mr. Blaikie's comments with respect to some changes he might be looking for to amend this motion and maybe make it a little less partisan, and I'm open to that; I think he's right. He's been consistent in calling for the Minister of Finance to come here. Perhaps we could change some of the parameters, and I would leave it up to him to make the amendments, because I think he's obviously a better choice to speak for the NDP and for himself than I would be. However, I would think it would be—I don't use this word lightly—irresponsible for this committee not to have the Minister of Finance before us, given the fact that we have an uptick in bankruptcies and insolvencies and that we have continued issues in the housing market.
Recently we have even seen troubling international data that maybe some of the advanced economies around the world are also going to be having some struggles as well, so in the background of the new direction that it appears this Liberal government might be embarking on, I think the minister owes it to the Canadian people to come before the people's representatives, before the committee selected to discuss finance—that being the finance committee—and discuss it with us. Therefore, I'm very open to an amendment from the NDP with respect to the parameters if Mr. Blaikie believes there might be a better way to kindly invite the minister to come before our committee and talk about the actions her government is going to take to counteract these very difficult economic times we're facing.
I don't want to be partisan, but the record is clear: Over the last 10 years, we've had the lowest economic growth per capita ever in Canadian history—or since the Great Depression, I should say—and I think she needs to come and explain that she's learned some of her lessons and that maybe she'll be taking a new direction. Otherwise, if she wants to double down, then she should tell the Canadian public that as well. As I said, I know that my NDP colleague Mr. Blaikie has been absolutely consistent in calling for the Minister of Finance to appear, and I trust that he'll keep to his track record of calling for her to appear.
We are very open to changing. I will yield the floor with hopes that Mr. Blaikie will take it, but please do put me back on the list, Mr. Chair.