Mr. Speaker, the Reform proposals for spending cuts of about $10 billion are politically courageous since they identify groups and institutions that will undoubtedly launch strong attacks and will paint Reform as lacking compassion.
However, we took these risks precisely because we are compassionate. If Canada will hit the financial wall, those cuts will look puny and the needy will have to suffer. We also use principles of fairness in our recommendations. We propose cuts at the top including politicians pensions and perks and cuts for private business as well as special interest groups.
Frankly and proudly the cuts are also based on a different vision of the role of government, one which gets government out of the lives of Canadians, encourages the family and free enterprise and reduces the power of publicly financed media elites.
Reform awaits anxiously the government's proposals that will slow down the debt clock which now is at $538,203,000,000.