Mr. Speaker, is the hon. member opposite familiar with the name Michael Walker? He has something to do with the Fraser Institute, an institute often referred to by the Reform members.
There was an article in the Globe and Mail on March 14, 1996. I remind the hon. member that Michael Walker, one of their great folk heroes over the last two years, had this to say about the budget which he so roundly criticized:
In regarding the government's latest budget, commentators have missed some of the most aggressive fiscal action in the country's history.
The federal government is going in the near term future to be able to boast that it has the lowest borrowing requirements of the G-7 countries. Total government deficits in Canada will total less than in any of the G-7, and by 1998 the total financing requirement relative to the gross domestic product will be less than half the comparable U.S. figure.
Far from being a bore-
or worse, as this member suggests
-this budget was a turning point in Canadian fiscal history. We may well chart a dramatic turn in our fortunes to March 1996.
This is tough talk from Michael Walker, one of the hon. member's heroes.
I wonder if you might like to comment on how Michael Walker,, who has been so tough on us over the years with respect to our budgetary plans, could have this much praise for a budget you think is so terrible.