Mr. Speaker, as the MP for London—Fanshawe, in September, for the sixth consecutive year, I held a prebudget consultation with my constituents in London—Fanshawe and key organizations in the city of London.
A number of people called on the government to reinvest part of the surplus in priority areas such as health, education, research, the homeless and defence. Other people asked our government to emphasize tax cuts, particularly for low and middle income Canadians.
I was very pleased to hear from a wide cross section of community groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Co-op Housing and the University of Western Ontario to name only three.
Anyone who participated in the consultation will attest that there were two dominant themes presented that evening. First, it is clear that Londoners want both a tax cut and reinvestment in priority services, in other words, a balanced approach dealing with a surplus.
Second, there was consistent and clear approval of the economic performance of the government.
I wish to thank all those who participated in the sixth annual town hall and to assure my constituents I will continue to raise their concerns here in Ottawa.