Mr. Speaker, I do not believe this slowdown was in any of the models. It had never been put into the forecast about economic growth in the future. It comes as a total surprise.
The coming economic slowdown will cause higher unemployment. This will surely cause members of the Liberal cabinet and caucus to increase their resistance to spending cuts, cuts which they could not get themselves to approve during last year's boom.
Given the likely political resistance to essential spending cuts, will the minister support Reform's proposed balanced budget legislation which has been used in many other jurisdictions to protect taxpayers from shortsighted and selfish actions of politicians?