Mr. Speaker, last week nearly 1,600 Canadians from every corner of the country and a variety of partisan backgrounds gathered in the nation's capital to begin the urgent work of replacing this arrogant, top down, tax and spend, health care cutting Liberal regime.
The naysayers said it could not be done, that such a diverse group could not come together around common principles to form a united alternative to Liberal misgovernment. Well, they were wrong.
Delegates opened their minds and focused their eyes firmly on the future, not on the political disputes of the past. They defined the basis for a common sense governing agenda, including balanced budget legislation, debt reduction, real tax relief, Senate reform, direct democracy, end to judge made law, reforming the federation, property rights and real criminal justice reform.
In short, these grassroots Canadians came here in good faith to begin creating a brighter future for the country they love and to end the corrosive effect of one party government.
As the hon. member for York South—Weston, a former Liberal, said, build it and they will come. Last week these Canadians began the exciting work of building this principled united alternative.