Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible for the child tax benefit is hoarse from telling us how wonderful his government is and that we must invest in our children.
In 1997 dollars, the federal government invested $6.7 billion in 1984, compared to $5.1 billion this year. The Caledon Institute and anti-poverty groups have estimated that an additional $2 billion annually would be the minimum to launch the fight against poverty.
The Bloc Quebecois adds its voice to that of hungry children and urges the government to put an additional $1.2 billion into the child tax benefit program, without infringing on provincial responsibility in this sector. We are far from the $850 million announced by the government.