Madam Speaker, I appreciate this question and would like to answer it by asking another question.
A good economic system will benefit all Canadians. If we look at the history of the industrial world going back over the last 150 or 200 years, there have been some very rich people. It is also true when there are some rich people that it generally provides many good jobs and a good livelihood for a lot of people.
What is better, for everybody to be taxed to death and we try to help a few people with handouts, or to allow those with good leadership abilities, good business skills to set up an economic environment in which they could thrive? Maybe they would do fairly well and perhaps the people in the neighbourhood who had been on UI and social welfare and were making $12,000 a year could now have jobs with the new firm at $30,000 a year. That happens. If we look at history, that is the way the economy works.
When businesses are excessively taxed there is the exodus which has been experienced and observed in Ontario. Excessive taxation and a bad economic climate are not a promotion of business. Ultimately everybody, not just the rich, but the working class as well suffers more than they would under the other regime.
At the same time we need to be very careful here. Over and over I hear Liberals saying that we are a compassionate society. I believe that too. I believe in individually helping people who need help. If that is really true and a government system is taken away, we can count on individuals and organizations moving in to fill the gap and they will do it more efficiently.