Madam Speaker, if I referred to the Reform Party as the official opposition, I certainly apologize for that. I certainly did not mean to provide that party with a status it does not have and never will.
No one is suggesting that the federal government does not need to balance its books. It needs to eliminate its deficit and in time bring its debt down. Similarly, as individuals if we were overcommitted at some point in time we would want to bring our individual debt down and to spend only what we were bringing in in a given year. The Reform Party is suggesting that we do this at a pace and in a manner which totally ignores the needs of individual Canadians.
I can go to any budget for a business, an individual, a government or a province and I can look at certain lines, rip them out and come to a balanced budget. That is easy. It is simple. However, we have to remember that behind each line on the budget, behind each stroke of the pen, there will be an impact on people. We have to remember the impact it will have on people and not simply do a number punching exercise.
The same thing holds true for the government as holds true in our personal lives. We have to be responsible, we have to be prudent and we have to remember the consequences of our actions. The government will balance its budget. It will bring its financial house in order, but it will do it in a responsible manner which will recognize the needs of individual Canadians.