Mr. Speaker, the hon. member raised the issue of hope.
I would like to sincerely invite him to my riding of Elgin—Middlesex—London and show him a community that during the waning days of the last Tory government probably suffered through the worst recession in its history. It had an unemployment rate of well over 16% or 17%. Factories were moving out of our community en masse.
I would bring him down to the community now and show him that our unemployment rate has roughly been cut in half, if not better. We have investments from companies all over the world. If he wants to see a more hopeful, optimistic community, have him come to Elgin—Middlesex—London.
I would also like to suggest that the story in my riding is not unique. It is being repeated all across the country.
The point about Canadians having the highest income taxes in the industrialized world is something we hear from the Conservatives. It is something we hear from their kissing cousins the Reform Party. The fact of the matter is that a truer picture of tax fairness includes all taxes. The opposition repeatedly distorts the facts by focusing on selected tax measures.
Total tax revenue for all levels of governments stood at 36.1% of GDP in 1994. This puts Canada in the middle of the G-7 countries. Canada relies more than most countries on income tax and less on payroll and sales taxes which increases tax fairness.
My main point is that in October 1997 a study conducted by KPMG, an international consulting firm, concluded that Canada has lower overall business costs than the United States and Europe, including the lowest overall tax burden of the seven nations studied.