Mr. Speaker, it is important for Canadians to know that parliamentarians listen carefully to their constituents with respect to government actions or proposed actions. With respect to the budget, as I indicated, the aspect of balancing the budget was first and foremost in the minds of Canadians.
As the parliamentary secretary has outlined, the whole issue of the Canadian opportunities strategy has been extremely well received by my constituents of Mississauga South and others across the country, as others members of this place have seen.
The millennium scholarship fund, the increased funding for the council on advanced research, the tax relief measures for student loan interest and the improvement of the Canada Student Loans Act are very important parts of the budget. As well there are tax measures for promoting life-long learning, EI premium breaks for employers hiring young Canadians and funding for SchoolNet and Internet projects. There is an opportunity for families to provide future education for their children through the RESPs.
Many Canadians are unaware of some of these programs. The job of members of Parliament is to pass on this kind of information to their constituents through householders and otherwise to let them know about the opportunities that have been made available.
The theme in the budget has been preparing our young people for the knowledge based economy of the 21st century. I thank the member for his kind words. There is no question there is an appetite in the House to see that families have all the flexibility, options and choices they need to ensure we invest in our children, the future of Canada.