Mr. Speaker, that does not leave us much time.
I simply must point out that some of the assertions the minister made were perhaps a little bit misleading. First, the minister suggested that the federal government is the first government to balance a budget in 30 years. I would point out that just the other day Manitoba announced its fourth balanced budget in a row. I would point out that Alberta and Saskatchewan have done the same. I would point out that municipal governments balance their budgets as a matter of course every year. The government should not be patting itself on the back so heartily for something that is regularly done by most governments.
I would also point out that taxpayers are the ones who have balanced the budget. The member asserted that it was her government that balanced the budget. However it was taxpayers overwhelmingly who balanced the budget through higher taxes.
The minister has stated that taxes are going down. In fact when one includes the hike in CPP premiums and bracket creep, taxes have been going up each and every year of the government's mandate. I do not know how the minister can make her assertion. How can the minister assert that taxes in fact are going down? When one includes CPP premiums and bracket creep, the effect is that taxes are actually going up.