We go from surprise to surprise, Mr. Chair.
They make a big deal because we're proposing measures that represent approximately $5 billion for this year. Indeed, our measures represent $15 billion and are allocated over three years. The surpluses are in the order of $28 billion for the next three years, I believe. A portion will be used to reduce the debt. They're obsessed by the debt. We agree that a portion should be used to reduce the debt; that's planned.
I want to remind my eminent colleague that we're introducing measures so that they are debated in the House. That's very democratic and highly realistic. Our colleagues are trying to give us a lesson about accountability. Last year, a week after the House adjourned, this government announced $17.5 billion worth of investments in military equipment. There were investments of $23 billion over two years without any debate in the House of Commons. We don't need any lessons from them on democracy—that's the first thing—on judgment or on accountability to the public and our citizens.
We from Quebec can talk about that. First, we're going to talk about what we know. We don't want to speak for the other provinces, except where it's obvious, as in the case of the manufacturing and forestry companies. We know that Ontario is experiencing the same dynamic and the same problem as Quebec. We can raise that. The Premier of Ontario is raising it. We don't want to speak on his behalf, but we're saying that the people there are experiencing the same situation.
However, we do know one thing about the war: the people of Quebec don't want us to be in Afghanistan, but they'll support their soldiers, even though they didn't make the decision to go there. They have made a personal commitment, and others determine the situations in which we have to go into combat. If we in the House of Commons make that decision, they go, and we support our soldiers, even though that was not the political choice of the population of Quebec. In the past two years, the Conservative government has allocated $23 billion to military equipment without any debate in the House of Commons. That also has to be said. That's what we're talking about when we talk about poverty. We want to intervene in this matter through concrete measures.