Here's a problem. Actually, it is an acceleration of an existing problem.
We've had structural poverty in Canada for a number of years. We have a recession now, which has to some extent brought people's attention to the issue, but the problem has existed for a long time. The problem is this: we have now gone into a deficit as a country. We have come up with a stimulus budget that's going to make it difficult for any future government to do anything except pay the deficit down. If the money we've gone into debt to finance isn't going to people who need it most right now, then when are we going to do it? That's the question.
I think most economists would say that the best stimulus spending is to invest in people who need the money. If you put money into EI, social assistance, or organizations such as your own, it pays dividends. If you're going to stimulate Halifax or Dartmouth by building a new convention centre, you're just going to be moving skilled tradespeople from one job to another as opposed to training people who need the skills and putting money in their pockets.
I'm concerned that we've gone into deficit as a country. We're not putting money into the hands of people who need it most. What do you think of that, anybody?