Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts. The OECD says that Canada was the only G-7 country to see a reduction in its productivity between 1979 and 1997. It said that Canada's productivity performance used to place it among the top performers, but now it has fallen significantly.
We are going down while other countries are going up. Our dollar is at 65 cents, giving Canadians a lower standard of living.
How does this finance minister defend a bargain basement priced country when we should be growing and not shrinking our standard of living?