Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance keeps telling us that his government is ready to listen to Canadians.
Witnesses told the finance committee that Canadians are taxed out. Reform listened to this and recommended that there be no new taxes. The government members on the other hand recommended a billion dollar gasoline tax.
I am hard pressed to remember anyone who came before the committee and said to tax gasoline.
Canada's business, academic and opinion leaders appeared before the committee and said that 3 per cent is not enough. They said that we have to stomp out this deficit. We have to kill it before the next recession.
Reform heard the message and recommended the budget be balanced in three years. The Liberal members continued to stick with the 3 per cent target.
A fair question is who was really listening to Canadians? It certainly was not the government members.
As the Minister of Finance finalizes his plans for the next budget I can only hope that he listens better than his Liberal friends.