Mr. Speaker, on this the last sitting day of the House of Commons in this century, it is time to reflect on the issues that face Canadians.
We have an unemployment rate that is 70% higher than that of the U.S., the highest personal income tax in the G-7, the second highest corporate taxes of the OECD, the highest personal debt rates in the history of our country, and the fastest growing personal debt rates of any country in the G-7. Personal disposable income has dropped 8% in the 1990s and has increased by 10% in the U.S.
Why is the finance minister off to Berlin this week to chair the G-20 meetings when there is so much repair work to be done here at home?