Mr. Speaker, we have touched a raw nerve. They are upset because we are saying that they are gorging off the trough. They do not like it. That is too darned bad. I will tell you who does not like the big issues. It is the guy working in this country who is contributing another $650 out of his pocket. These MPs are contributing nothing more. They are getting three times as much in less than one-third of the time. If they do not like it, that is just too darned bad. We will see you all in the next election. Come to my riding.
Mr. Speaker, they are being noisy again. I like to see how we touch off nerves, especially when it comes out of their pockets.
Let us look at where Canada has come from and where it is today as a result of these people being in power. I can remember in 1993 when the debt was around $450 billion. Have they improved the country since then?
The debt is now bordering on $600 billion. One of the members over there had the unmitigated gall to stand up and say there is a light at the end of the tunnel because of the Liberals. The light at the end of the tunnel is $600 billion, $150 billion more.
They got a standing ovation here the other day when the finance minister said "we are only borrowing $19 billion this year". How does anybody get a standing ovation when they are saying that they are overspending and borrowing on the backs of Canadians nineteen thousand million dollars? How on earth do these members give a finance minister a standing ovation on that? It is sickening.
Where is crime today? Much worse than in 1993. What has this government done? Virtually nothing.
This country is not better off after three and a half years of Liberals. I will say who is better off. All the Liberal MPs and the separatists over here who are gorging off the MP pension plan. They are better off.
They say that we have cut to the bone. This is a common saying among these folks. Let us look at some of the money they gave away last year which is still sitting in the budget.
They gave $987,000 to the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. That was given out last year, but is still in the budget this year. Could they not have taken that out this year?
They gave $138,000 to the Canadian conference of teamsters. Will they repeat that next year? Could they not have said "there is your money this year and we will cut that out of the budget next year"? No. They said that they cut to the bone.
From 1993 to 1996 ACOA handed out a staggering $975 million. People only have to look and read the papers in Atlantic Canada to understand what happens with ACOA money. Most of it is a waste.
They give this money year after year. Is there no such thing as zero based budgeting in this government? What does this government know about youth and unemployment?