Mr. Speaker, let us point out to the hon. member for Winnipeg South the incredible fuel taxes that the Canadian public and the commercial users of the highway pay. Of that fuel tax, less than 5 per cent actually gets spent on rebuilding the highway system in this country.
There has been a massive request for some dedicated money from fuel taxes to go to fix the highway system. The Liberals have refused to do that despite cries from the travelling public, commercial users of the highway and others who use the highway system. The Liberals have refused to listen to them. They are the ones who are paying the bills by their fuel taxes and the Liberals are not using the money to keep the roadways up.
I listened to the member for Winnipeg South talk about how the provinces are offloading their problems for funding education on to the backs of the students. Let me remind the member for Winnipeg South that since the Liberal government took office it has cut back transfer payments to education and health care by $7.5 billion. The Liberals have taken out of health care and education transfers and they have the nerve to stand up and blame the provinces for the problem. That audacity is beyond belief.
The member for Winnipeg South also talked about how they are going to extend the payment schedules for the students. I am sure the students are going to appreciate that a lot. But what they would appreciate more would be to be able to get a job when they finish their education, to go out to work and earn some money to pay back the loans within the time period allowed to them. The fact is there are 1.5 million Canadians without jobs which is comical considering that in 1993 this Liberal government ran on jobs, jobs, jobs and there is about a net zero change in the unemployment rate in this country.
Instead of offering the students extended terms for paying back their loans, would it not be wonderful and would the students not appreciate far more the opportunity to go to work after they finish their education and pay back the loans like they want to? The students do not want handouts when they finish their education. They want jobs. This government has failed miserably in its responsibility to ensure that an environment is created so that students can get jobs.
Let me also talk about child poverty. People living below the poverty line do not want more welfare. They want jobs so that they can get themselves out of that situation. This extra payment to combat child poverty is only a drop in the bucket per family, per child, for those who live in poverty.
It would be far better if the Liberal government did one of two things. One, it could create better paying jobs for those people so they could get themselves out of that situation. Two, like the Reform Party would do, it could take those low income people off the tax rolls completely. That would be a better solution than the handouts the Liberal government is talking about here.
The member for Winnipeg South continues with the sleight of hand deception that this budget represents. It has no credibility. The member should be standing and defending the Liberal record on employment and the tax increases that have been created by this government.