Mr. Speaker, I hope that silly interruption will not be taken off my time. Even the hon. member for Kindersley-Lloydminster was huffing and puffing on that one.
Members of the Reform Party would do well to reconsider their ill advised stance with respect to Canada's social programs and get on board with the government to make the social programs better instead of just chopping and cutting the way they want to do.
I recall during the last election campaign I had many requests from electors as I went door to door asking what the Reform Party was really doing with its proposals to cut the deficit. Of course it had this great scheme for eliminating Canada's deficit by cutting $18 billion or $15 billion or something like that. We all know the deficit is $40 billion and so $18 billion was barely half of it. Yet that was the cut they were proposing during the election campaign. They were telling Canadians that was going to eliminate the deficit.
Most people could see that was hogwash. The people in Kingston and the Islands certainly saw that it was hogwash. I hope the Reform Party members who were elected running on that bowl of hogwash will be able to realize that it is time to change their tune, get into dialogue with the government in respect of what social programs could and should be and try to work with the government to make them better.
The hon. member for Elk Island in his very able speech spoke about one aspect of it. He did not tell us of any proposals from his party to improve the current proposals put forward by the government or suggest changes to the current system that would make the system one that we could afford or would be more workable or better for Canadians. That is the government's aim. That is what we would like to do.
I encourage hon. members opposite to engage in that dialogue. Work with the members on this side of the House in committee and in this House to come up with proposals that will better Canadians' lot in life and provide the income security for all that we so earnestly desire in this country.