Mr. Speaker, I have a few points I would like to raise in response to the hon. member's speech in defence of the budget.
He took great pride in talking about the new programs that are being introduced in the budget. This was presented by the Minister of Finance as being a tough budget. Yet 18 new programs are being introduced. We have gone 125 years since Confederation without these programs. This was supposed to be a tough budget and here we have the government starting off and spending on programs in brand new areas.
I have another point, and it is the one to which I would really like the member to respond. He said we have an income crisis and not a spending crisis. The country is $500 billion in debt. Canadians are groaning under the weight of taxes they can hardly afford to pay. I would like him to tell us why he thinks we have a revenue crisis rather than a spending crisis.