Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.
During the election campaign this government promised to reduce the annual deficit to 3 per cent of GDP within three years. This promise was reiterated by the Minister of Finance in December.
Last week on the first vote of the 35th Parliament each and every government member voted against the motion to limit spending.
Why should the people of Canada believe this government is serious about deficit reduction and its own three-year goal when it refuses to take the first step to reduce spending by just 6 per cent this year?