Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to all of the witnesses for coming in today.
There's an important distinction to make here. I was brought up cutting taxes for Canadians, but we're already cutting taxes for Canadians. It's being done in a fiscally responsible way. That's an important thing to point out. This is already something that's in the process. Adding the cost of $14 billion more every year to Canadians, frankly, is just irresponsible debt.
That's an important distinction to make here. We have ongoing trade negotiations with the United States. There is a rise in protectionism. Of course, there's an ongoing climate crisis that demands immediate attention, and it's going to be very costly. There are many factors we have to consider when we're making amendments like this. I'm not sure if we're talking enough about those considerations.
Adding an additional $8 billion to the deficit with the stroke of a pen, as the Conservatives are proposing, would this weaken Canada's fiscal capacity and room to manoeuvre right now?