Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the members of the Bloc just do not get the truth of this whole thing. Canada is almost flat broke, if not already there. We have a $535 billion debt. We are operating $40 billion in the hole a year. There is no money for increasing services. The only way that can possibly be done at this stage is to increase taxes. Quite frankly, this is not a viable option. The Canadian people and Canadian businesses are taxed to death. They cannot take any more tax hits.
If we do not get our finances under control, if we do not get our deficit under control, if we do not start attacking the debt, Canada is going to hit the wall. All these services, the transportation services, hospital services, the infrastructure that the Bloc members are talking about are simply going to be gone, period.
This is a time when Canada has to clearly distinguish its wants from its needs. What we need is what we can afford to pay for; what we want is not what we can afford to pay for. The Bloc is talking about wants. The wants side of the thing should not even be on the agenda today, considering our financial position.