Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Prime Minister.
In their analysis of the impact of this government's first budget, three economists at the Université du Québec à Montréal stated that the government was asking the unemployed, and I quote: "to make an entirely disproportionate contribution by obliging them to shoulder 60 per cent of the cutbacks announced in the budget". In fact, the benefit rate and benefit period of more than eight unemployed workers has been reduced, which illustrates the extent of this unprecedented attack by the government on the unemployed.
Could the Prime Minister explain why the government, instead of cutting operating expenditures and getting rid of widespread overlap in its administration, has deliberately decided to come down hard on the unemployed?