Mr. Speaker, I do not know what my nickname might be if I were finance minister. I could probably think of some choice ones.
Everyone knows we cannot reduce the debt until we balance the budget. That is why we have been begging the finance minister to show us a balanced budget. If we could have a balanced budget sometime in this millennium, we could assure investors, taxpayers, people on fixed incomes, people in the health care system and elsewhere that we will be able to sustain social programs, offer tax relief, that we will be able to offer some light at the end of the tunnel. Until we balance the books none of it is possible.
Alberta has a wonderful problem. Does it spend more money on the social welfare program? Does it retire some more debt? Does it lower taxes? None of this is going to be in the cards ever in the life of this Parliament until we balance the yearly deficit. That is why there is such emphasis on it from this party. We want to preserve the things that Canadians are demanding and offer them some hope for the future.