Mr. Speaker, the member covered a number of points.
My information is that we have been re-engineering the federal government and the operations of the federal government for some time and with great success. The federal government has had an operating surplus for a few years. That operating surplus is going to continue to grow.
I agree with the member that we need to get at the debt. As the member knows, the only way to reduce the debt is to attack the deficit. Until we can put our budget into a surplus position, we will not be reducing the debt.
What we have here is a phenomenon of governments of all description. Looking at the budget situation the province of Quebec is in and looking from province to province, over the years we have made the mistake of spending beyond our means. We are now trying to come to grips with that.
The answer does not lie in reducing expenditures at a rate that does not allow for the infrastructures of government and the delivery of services which impact on people who are in need. We should not try to solve a problem that has developed over 15 or 20 years in two or three years. I agree with the member that we need to attack the debt and redeploy those resources to programs. To do that, we need to reduce our deficit.
In terms of the deficit and the debt situation, the financial markets basically invest capital in our country. I do not believe we need to necessarily take all our cues from the financial markets, but they are very important to listen to. The budget direction we are heading in has been endorsed by the markets which is reflected in the interest rates this country now has.
Again I would say that the only impediment to growth and investment in Canada is trying to bring some stability to the politics of Quebec. Hearing Bloc members in this House from time to time, perhaps other Canadians are as concerned as I am when I hear how Quebec has been mistreated, the errant child who cannot get a fair deal.
I suppose that is the mandate of the member's party, but if we are going to try to build a country and move forward, certainly from my perspective and political agenda this is not constructive. It does not allow us to move forward. I would hope to hear more on how we can build together and less on how Quebec is aggrieved from time to time.