Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Lincoln.
The Bloc member is long on demagoguery and very short on substance. He started shouting because he did not like hearing questions asked by another member. Maybe he did not like these questions, but I can tell him I did not like his answers at all, to put it bluntly.
Mr. Speaker, I submit to you that the member opposite is disrespectful of the Quebec people, of Quebec electors when he says: "Let us go". He knows the people in his province said the contrary in a referendum. Who is lacking respect in this House? The hon. member who just spoke. This kind of demagoguery is in no way conducive to good understanding.
I could also comment on his speech on the budget and the government's economic policy. Did he forget-I know he will listen carefully to what I have to say-that 600,000 more Canadians have found a job since the government came into office? Did he forget that? Why did he not mention it? Of course, too many Canadians are unemployed, but, at least, 600,000 more have a job now. What is the difference between interest rates now and on election day? Canadians know that our economy has improved thanks to the good management and leadership of our Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
Let us talk a little about the deficit, another point the hon. member criticized. The deficit went from 6.6 per cent to 3 per cent of the gross domestic product this year and will go down to 2 per cent next year. We are close, in Canada, to having a balanced budget.
In 1993, when we were canvassing and telling people that we would bring the deficit down to 3 per cent of the GDP, many did not believe us and said it was not possible. Why? Because the previous government had never kept its word. In nine years, it never succeeded in making year-end figures and budget agree. As for us, we never failed even once in three years to make them agree. That is the difference.