Mr. Speaker, first I would like to compliment the new Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs on his maiden speech in the House of Commons.
I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he said in the latter part of his speech. I do believe in Canada and I do believe in federalism. I would certainly hope that both the Liberals and the Reform Party can work together to hold this country together because it is worth saving, unlike what the Bloc Quebecois would like to do with this country.
Having given him high marks on that part of his speech, I feel now that I will hit a little bit around the belt. I have to give him an F on finance because he said two things in his speech which I take exception to and which I would like him to elaborate on.
He said that the government has tackled the spiralling deficit and that solved the problem. I do not know how much the member understands about finance, but if he feels that by continually spending more money than is brought in and by continually adding to the debt that the problem will be solved, then I feel he had better revisit his math courses.
While he brags about the deficit going down from $42 billion to $37 billion to $32 billion to $24 billion, he fails to say that the debt is going from $508 billion to $545 billion to $578 billion to $602 billion. He may brag about a $24 billion deficit next year, but the debt will have increased to $578 billion. The year after where the projections are really fuzzy, he states a deficit of $17 billion and the debt will be $602 billion. The problem is the debt and the interest costs to service the debt. I would like his opinion on that fact.
This second point surprises me. He said that in the last three budgets the government has not increased taxes. Well, he just got here yesterday and I have to tell him that the government has increased taxes. Before he replies to that, let me point out to him that when this government came in, the revenue was $116 billion and is projected to go to $141 billion.
When he stands in the House of Commons and says that the government in its last three budgets has not raised taxes, he has been given false information. He has not researched the information. It is a disservice to the Canadian public to tell them that taxes have not been increased.
In answer to me he will then have to say that all this extra revenue has come from a growth in the economy and that there has been nothing done in the income tax system. There have been no excise taxes introduced, no taxes on seniors, no taxes on anything.
Before the member answers, he had better make sure he has the correct answer because the answer will stay with him for the rest of this Parliament.
I would like the member to answer those two questions because the budget does show that there are taxes.