Mr. Speaker, I had a vision as my friend was speaking. It was a vision from Hindu philosophy of a multi-armed goddess. She has about 15 arms. I imagined these arms going into every back pocket and every front pocket, picking our pockets.
What my friend did not mention was the new tax collection agency, a monster tax collection agency that not only will have federal hands going into people's pockets but will also have provincial hands tied in.
Somebody said it is like a drunken sailor taking taxes. It is not like a drunken sailor spending money, because drunken sailors spend their own money. These guys spend other people's money.
Again, to say that none of this is worthwhile would be folly. Of course many of the provisions will be helpful. It is like the situation of a young boy begging on a city street, obviously living in a horrible situation. The boy stands there with a cup and asks for a dime. Someone gives him a dime and thinks the kid should be thankful, he should be happy with that. That is what we are getting here, little dimes in the beggars' cups and we are being asked to say is this not wonderful, thank you very much, Mr. Minister of Finance. These changes are a mere a pittance.
My friend from Vancouver talked about the student debt load, the horrible situation young people face trying to afford an education. We are supposed to be up here leaping for glee because they are now going to possibly deduct some interest from $26,000 to $50,000 student loans. It is sad.
There are minute improvements to our tax system. But when we have to back up a pickup truck for the piles and piles of this stuff, this is not the way to approach real tax reform.
I welcome my hon. friend's suggestion that we raise this at the finance committee. Perhaps one day we can initiate a real process of tax reform coming out of this House of Commons.