I think the big issue is connecting taxes with services. Whenever the discussion comes up, it's as if there's no relationship between the two. That really concerns me, because as it relates to your previous question, we're looking at a $50 billion deficit. The government is projecting deficits for the next five years, I believe, and I know that's going to roll down to the work that we do. I know it's going to impact the people on the street. But I didn't see anywhere in the discussion, when Minister Flaherty spoke about the $50 billion cuts, anything about the fact that we kind of painted ourselves into a corner in that we dropped the GST by 2¢. Billions and billions of dollars are gone. That's why it's up at $50 billion. If you included that money in there, you would soften it. I think it's that relationship, and the relationship right down at street level.
Two weeks ago I was consulting with some mental health consumers, and we were talking about the importance of connections to maintain one's mental health and so on. One woman said, “You know, I get calls from friends to go out for a coffee. I can't afford a coffee, and so I find an excuse for not going out, and after a while they stop calling.” That's the impact--that people can't afford a cup of coffee. That 2¢ in the GST may mean nothing to someone who's making a good income, but that person isn't going out and buying anything such that the GST cut will mean anything to her.
So it's that connection between services and taxes that, for some reason, gets lost every time the discussion comes up.