Mr. Speaker, I have a comment and a question for the hon. member concerning an observation he made at the start of his speech.
He stated that the deficit and the debt crisis must transcend partisan political purposes and I agree with him. He subsequently said that we must not fall victim to the "not-in-my-backyard" syndrome and that we must avoid saying that we do not want to be singled out for these types of cuts.
I have an example for him. Consider a family with four children that is having financial problems and has decided to get a handle on its finances. Suppose that each child is involved in several recreational activities, but that one child participates in fewer activities than his siblings. Obviously, if his or her activities were cut to the same extent as those of the other children, he or she would react. The principle that I am trying to
illustrate is that of fairness or equity. In addressing the deficit and debt problems, the government must ensure that fairness and justice for all prevail. That is why from time to time, one must react to certain cuts.
I am referring to cuts in the military field. This explains a little why people often react somewhat more forcefully. Does the hon. member not feel that the notion of equity and justice must be central to the issue of getting a handle on the deficit, regardless of whether the objective is to raise revenues or cut expenditures.