Mr. Speaker, the National Council of Welfare has said that it is a national disgrace that we should have 2.8 million people on welfare in Canada. And that is not an overstatement.
We should not forget that over the last decade, the number of people on welfare has gone up by 47% from 1.9 million to 2.8 million. Single mothers represent 27% of those on welfare.
The human resources development minister can heap all the praise he wants on the employment insurance reform, the fact is this reform is one of the main causes of increasing poverty.
Why does the Liberal government take pleasure in racking up $20 billion in surplus in the employment insurance fund, in hiding budget surpluses, and in granting tax privileges to certain shipping concerns when children are going hungry and their parents are being pushed aside as active participants in society?