Madam Speaker, in response to the member opposite I say merci beaucoup.
I think women are big winners in the budget and I will tell the House why. Of the 400,000 people who will no longer be paying income tax, many of them will be women. One of the things we know, unfortunately, is that too often in Canada the face of poverty is women and their children.
Women will now be able to have an increase in their child care deduction from $5,000 to $7,000. Women will also be able to participate in student loan programs which are now extended to part time students, many of whom are women. When it comes to the Canada pension plan, young women in the future, or in fact all youth in Canada, can now be assured that the plan will be there for them.
The changes to the seniors benefits will be discussed in the legislation of the House, but I can assure the member that the guiding principle of the government when it comes to any changes is to ensure that the impact is understood and that we try to be as fair as we can be. We understand the special needs that women often have in our society, particularly those who are raising children alone.