Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am glad I am here today, Mr. Minister, so I can tell you what I think of your plan, not as a member of Parliament, but as a citizen. We have been hearing about the government's plan or plans for a few years now, but unfortunately, we have yet to see a real plan.
You talked about reducing the deficit. To you, that may be a plan, but that tells me absolutely nothing. You talked about possibly cutting the deficit by $15 billion, but we still have no idea how you are going to do that. It makes no sense.
In your opening remarks, you said, “I'm proud to say that our government has led by example by freezing the salaries of the Prime Minister, ministers, members of Parliament and senators.” Further on, you said, “Let me be clear. This government won't be balancing the budget on the backs of hard-working Canadians.”
Could you comment on the 35% increase in employment insurance? It seems to be another tax on workers and employers. Is that the money you will use to try to balance the budget?