Mr. Speaker, last night I hosted my 34th town hall meeting. The people of York North dealt with the politics of surplus, life after a balanced budget. They were happy to note that for the first time in a long time Canadians were in a position to debate priorities for the future.
They were pleased that we had regained our economic sovereignty that clearly outlined a vision for the future. They want a nation with a highly skilled, highly paid and highly trained workforce that produces value added products. They want accessible, affordable medicare. They want to be the lowest taxed jurisdiction of all the industrialized countries, reduce child poverty and build an efficient government. That means a clarification of
federal and provincial responsibility and lowered trade barriers between the provinces.
They view the sectors of education, science, technology and the environment as engines of growth and they want a government that invests in these areas to generate economic growth and expansion.
Town hall meetings have been a tradition in our riding since 1988 and on behalf of the Government of Canada I would like to thank all the contributors.