Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the Minister of Finance had informed the president as well as the vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Mr. Pierre Cléroux, that he would be slashing expenditures by roughly $5 billion while increasing taxes on the middle class by $2 billion. This announcement came on the heels of a series of meetings between the minister and this organization which is well-viewed by the Canadian public.
After having shown a lack of judgment last week with his statements on interests rates, can the Minister of Finance tell us, yes or no, whether he disclosed these details about the budget to Mr. Pierre Cléroux?