Mr. Speaker, listening to the Minister of Industry, one would think one was on another planet. He says he has gone across the country and has found that business people, and indeed everyone, is happy with the finance minister's latest budget.
I would just quote a few comments made by business people, including Mr. Cléroux, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, who said the day the budget was brought down, and I quote “It is a budget lacking vision, with no job strategy”.
So, when we are told that the business community was happy, we have our doubts. There was some unanimity around the budget, to the effect that it was not the budget of a visionary, and that, as far as real strategic planning with respect to the economy and jobs, the Minister of Finance was not perhaps the best person.
He says that everyone was happy. The day the budget was brought down, and the following day as well, all the provincial finance ministers and premiers—Mr. Romanow spoke on behalf of all Canada's premiers—were united in condemning this budget, saying that the Minister of Finance was taking credit for all the benefits of putting the fiscal house in order when it was their work that had made it possible and that they had received nothing for their efforts.
The Income Taxpayers' Association also had something to say. There were people representing taxpayers. They found $4 billion in tax cuts over the next three years laughable. Since he has been Minister of Finance, do you know how much the taxes of Quebeckers and Canadians have gone up? By almost $31 billion in three years.
So, thanks to him, people have paid an additional $31 billion in taxes over the past three years. Now he is telling us that, in the next three years, he will be reducing taxes by $4 billion. That amounts to laughing in people's faces.
The Minister of Finance is much quicker and more effective when it comes to voting in legislation for himself that suits him in terms of international shipping business than when it comes to reducing everyone's taxes for the collective good.
I have a question for the minister, in view of his remarks. We know that the first deficits date from a Liberal government some 25 years ago. I would ask him whether he agrees with our voting on an anti-deficit law in this House that would set specific parameters ensuring the accountability of the Minister of Finance to the House of Commons?
Would he agree to anti-deficit legislation to ensure that the Liberals do not fall back into their old ways of spending and put us in the situation they did 25 years ago?