Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat embarrassed by comments made in this House. The member who just spoke said that Canada is the richest country and that it enjoys a very high rate of economic growth. However, the member seems to overlook another Canadian reality.
There is no reason to brag when one looks at all the shameful cuts made to social assistance and to unemployment insurance, and when one considers that one out of five children does not have enough to eat. I am somewhat embarrassed by such comments, because I think the economic reality is not that pretty.
I feel like we are in a school yard during recess and that we are discussing whether we could cut $40 million and give this very amount to sectors that have suffered these shameful cuts.
I wish to call to order the member who boasts about playing a role in a flourishing Canadian economy.
I wonder about that. Canada is no longer the country it used to be. The federal government keeps making cuts in transfer payments to the provinces. It gives the provinces the responsibility of maintaining a social safety net, while it no longer has the means to send-Quebecers pay $30 billion in taxes and they receive less and less.
To use a popular expression, this is nothing to write home about.