Mr. Speaker, the reforms to the Canada pension plan arose not only through consultations with the provinces, but consultations with all sorts of stakeholder groups. Therefore, the concerns of my hon. friend have been taken into account. These are matters that could be considered further in parliamentary hearings and parliamentary debate.
However, the issues raised by my hon. friend are very much on the mind of the government. We believe they have been taken into account. The reforms we are putting forward to the Canada pension plan are to ensure the safety of the pensions for all Canadians, particularly lower and middle income Canadians and groups such as women, handicapped and needy people across the country.
Why will the NDP not realize this and join with us to make sure that these reforms go through to protect the plan for future generations?