Mr. Speaker, our budget does take into account the fact that the population is aging and that our social programs are unsustainable.
The hon. member should realize that in a few short years we will be paying up to 15 per cent of our income into the pension fund alone to meet the expectations of those retiring in a short time.
The member said social security programs are anything but dead. The studies by the Liberal government show the pension plan is in big trouble. There is less than two years of funds in the pension fund for payouts. The liability in this fund is about as great as our national debt, at over $500 billion. That is the liability in this fund.
This does not give Canadians security. It should be immediately obvious to everyone in the House when you have that kind of liability it is not sustainable, the opposite of security.
If individuals had been contributing into a self-managed fund, they would now have more security. The proposal we are putting forward gives the poor people a lot more security than they presently have with the mismanaged pension fund run by the government.
Does the hon. member feel it is worth exploring a means by which we could make a transition from the present unsustainable system to a more secure system that gives individuals more control over their future? Does she not think this concept is worth exploring?