Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
The member calls it a frivolous argument that the top marginal tax rate in the U.S. does not kick in until the threshold of $271,000. In Canada it kicks in at approximately $60,000. He calls it frivolous that we actually tax at a higher rate at the top marginal tax rate and we start at $60,000 and in the U.S. it does not start until the equivalent of $410,000. How can the member justify his assertion that this is frivolous?
In last year's prebudget debate the hon. member opposite when I was speaking about the brain drain said that Canadians should not want to leave this country because of our great health care system and because of all the social niceties. He listed various reasons why Canadians would not want to leave the country.
My response is that perhaps his time would be better spent standing at the border explaining to Canadians who are voting with their feet and choosing to go to the lower tax, higher opportunity environment why they should not leave, because they are leaving. They are leaving because the government continues to tax at all levels of income far too high.
The hon. member still obviously does not understand the impediment to economic growth that high taxes are. When he mentions Ontario he forgets to mention that Ontario actually increased its investment in health care. While the federal government cut its investments in health care, the province of Ontario and many other provinces increased their investments in health care.
The member is right to identify there was a tax cut in Ontario. This tax cut led to one of the strongest levels of economic growth in our country. It led to one of the strongest levels of job growth in our country. Perhaps the member should learn from the evidence and the example of Ontario that tax cuts can create economic growth and that governments can make the right choices and cut taxes and invest more in health care.