Indeed, we have abandoned this sector. That means that the standard of living of these people will go down. And who are these people earning an average of $10,161 per year? They are single-parent families, widows, seniors, and handicapped people. We are asking the most vulnerable people in society to make contributions that they cannot make. It will push these people further into squalor than they already are. Are these measures fair for Canadians?
I can accept, along with everybody else in the House, that real measures must be taken to reduce the deficit, but not at the expense of the most needy, the most vulnerable. In its budget, the government directly attacks, head on, blindly, the families and individuals who are the weakest and most vulnerable in society, and hits their essential needs. It is like saying to the weakest, infants, babies, children, that they will have to eat less. It is like taking away from these people their ability to meet their most basic needs.
It is unfair. I am for debt reduction, but why did the government not take the $300 million from the banks in its budget?