Madam Speaker, I have a quick question for the member.
I have heard quite a bit today. I have been reading in the news lately about the number of loans that the government is giving to various corporations and businesses so those businesses can expand and create jobs.
I am a little curious about exactly why the government would do that when the country has a $600 billion debt. We are trying to fight a deficit and the government has been working hard to get interest rates down.
Why does the government not let the banks loan the money to these businesses? Let them borrow the money. Is that not what banks are for? Are interest rates not lowered for that reason? Would it not make more sense to ask these people to borrow their money from lending institutions and stop giving away taxpayers' dollars?