Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. During the election campaign, the Liberal Party shouted from the rooftops that its economic program was based on creating jobs, on reducing the deficit by cutting government spending, and on a monetary policy balancing job creation with the fight against inflation.
The government failed at every level. Its first budget got a negative reception from the financial community as illustrated by the lowering of its credit rating announced the day before yesterday.
Does the Minister of Finance admit that this lower credit rating is due to a negative response from a financial community disappointed by the timid and inadequate budget measures to reduce departmental operating expenditures?