Thank you.
This morning Dr. Marjorie Cohen, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University, spoke on CBC radio before giving a keynote at breakfast here on Parliament Hill called “Austerity to Prosperity”, something I know England knows a lot about, having lived through austerity measures there for many years myself. I was there during the Margaret Thatcher years. That's why I left and came to Canada.
She noted that Canada ranks behind other rich countries in its spending on social programs. Surprisingly, she said we even rank behind the United States in this category.
The concern I have is this. Is this going to be used or is this the government conceding that they have a limited responsibility in mitigating and improving social problems when we try to push more towards these kinds of projects? What have you got to say, and how has this played out in the U.K.?