Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate my hon. colleague from Rimouski-Témiscouata, who, with his well-known verve and oratorical skills, demonstrated that this budget is even more conservative that the one the Tories dared to table when they were in power.
She put her finger on one of the government's shortcomings by saying that there was no one to defend culture on the government side. On hearing that there was no one to defend culture, I wondered who, in the last year and a half, has been defending the most disadvantaged as well as students, seniors,
middle-income earners and workers? They have shown how trigger-happy they are in their handling of the rail dispute.
The Liberals are knuckling under. They even knuckle under history when we ask them to correct it. Last night, I felt sick when the Liberals on the other side of the House refused to correct history regarding the high treason charges against Louis Riel. They even refused to refer the matter to a committee of the House. I was appalled.
So there is no one to defend the most disadvantaged, to defend culture, to defend students, middle-income earners and workers, to defend history. What has happened to the Liberals since the election campaign, when they presented us with a red book full of humanitarian and social democratic principles as well as promises to defend the most disadvantaged? What has happened since then? I am putting the question to my colleague.