First of all, Madam Speaker, I must congratulate the new member on his election to this House.
Now, to answer his question, I should say that, as far as we are concerned, the political context does not really hinder economic development all that much. We sincerely believe that it is the poor management of the federal system and the enormous debt that the federalists have accumulated that hurt the economy.
As for interest rates, they are quite low these days, but they are still too high when considered in relation to inflation. The difference between the rate of inflation and interest rates is still well over three percentage points.
At present, interest rates should be around 5 per cent. The difference should never exceed 3 per cent. It is a yardstick that must be applied. If we compare interest rates to the rate of inflation, it is clear that interest rates are still higher than they should be in relation to inflation.