Mr. Speaker, the hon. member was speaking about small business. I would like the hon. member to recognize that small business benefits from balanced budgets, low interest rates and low inflation. The tax relief which was provided in this last budget took 400,000 Canadians off the tax rolls. It provided relief to 90% of Canadian taxpayers.
The hon. member talked about the debt level. The hon. member only has to read the budget to understand that this budget contains measures that will actually decrease the value of the budget and keep the debt to GDP ratio on a continued downward track, which is really the measure that is used by countries around the world.
I want to draw the member's attention back to the 1989 Wilson budget. He only has to look at that budget to realize that his party added the surtax, raised corporate taxes and raised personal income taxes. It did everything that he now stands up in this House and accuses this government of doing.
I would only hope that the hon. member could stand in his place and recognize that this budget, for the first time in a long time, has started to give Canadians hope. As we have said, the tax cuts are modest. We will continue on that track. I hope the hon. member would stand up so that constituents in his riding could hear him say that this budget is on the right track for the first time in decades. It certainly is not as a result of what the Tories have done, and it certainly is not as a result of the Reform Party across the way which does nothing but heckle.