Madam Chair, it is not the Reform Party and the member for Capilano-Howe Sound whose thinking is in the past; it is the members of the Liberal Party whose thinking is in the past. They still believe it is up to the government to create jobs through job incentive programs.
History will show that the only real jobs that have ever been created in Canada have come from the private sector. The private sector has been telling the government to give it a break on tax levels, on the cost of doing business and on payroll taxes and it will create the jobs. In other words, get out of our face and get out of our pockets and we will create the jobs.
The minister said these jobs are all being created because trade has been increased. That may be true. We would not be getting half the trade business if the government had not gone to our trading partners and offered to finance the goods with taxpayer money in order to make the deals. Why is that? The cost of doing business is so high in this country that we are no longer competitive. We can no longer sell our products abroad unless we have government financing to help the deal along. Talk about being in the past.
I ask the minister whether he believes, yes or no, that real, long lasting, good paying, permanent jobs can come only from the private sector.