I seem to have the support of one of my Reform colleagues, which is certainly quite welcome, although as surprising as it is unexpected, but it certainly is inspiring to realize that when we discuss these things we can understand each other and convince our colleagues that certain things have to be done.
I believe my time is running out. I would like to add that the National Council of Welfare, a very serious and non-partisan agency which has been around for quite some time, since it was founded by a constituent act in 1966, the National Council of Welfare reminded us that Canadian society has never been as poor, that wealth has never been as unequally distributed, adding that if we had wanted to, we could have wiped out poverty.
I would like to quote what the National Council said in its 1995 report. It recalled the following facts: "Despite the sombre reality, it is not utopian to think that we can win the war against poverty. Statistics Canada estimates that it would have cost $15.2 billion in 1994".
I repeat: It is not utopian to think we can win the war against poverty. Statistics Canada estimates that it would have cost $15.2 billion in 1994 to bring all the poor above the poverty line. This is an enormous amount but certainly not too much, in a country where the federal government and the provincial territorial governments spent about $350 billion in 1994 and where the value of all goods and services produced exceeded $750 billion". We are living in a society where governments spend $350 billion and where we produce $750 billion.
If we had had the common sense to pool our resources and put $15 billion into active measures to fight poverty, today in this House we would not only be discussing the minimum wage, we would also be able to say how proud we are that as legislators, co-operating with all partners, we were able to wipe out poverty. For this scenario to become a reality, however, it is not enough to have a debate. It is not enough to have a government. It is not enough to have a democracy. We need an ingredient that is extremely important and also extremely rare in a democracy, one that is certainly lacking in the government before us. I am of course referring to political courage. Because to raise this $15 billion, we must also do something about the distribution of wealth. And if we want to do something about that, the government would have to have the guts to put a minimum tax on the table, something the opposition has been asking for three years.
However, a minimum tax means taxing a certain number of corporate citizens, who are of course friends of the present government.
Since my time is up, I will say in concluding that we will never do enough to fight poverty.