Mr. Speaker, I understand that the hon. member has a great interest in this particular issue. He is out there promoting his position.
I often take exception to the fact that the whole basis of the question and of today's motion is the belief that other members of other parties in this House do not support the work done by Canadians who choose to stay home to raise their families. That is fundamentally wrong. That is the basis I take exception to. To stand up in the House and point to another member, to a government, or to a party and say “You do not believe that the work that Canadians do in raising their children at home has any value”, I take exception to that. We have taken initiative in trying to assist those Canadians who choose to stay home.
The hon. member talks about the child tax benefit and says that it does not in effect assist those Canadians who decide to stay home or the one earner versus the two earner family. Speaking directly to the motion today perhaps after I give the response, Reform members might look at the child tax benefit in a different light.
The Canadian child tax benefit is targeted on the basis of family income. A one earner family receives substantially more money on average from the child tax benefit than a two earner family when the 1999 budget measures are implemented. If hon. members would take the time to do the analysis, they would find that the 1998 and 1999 budget is enhancing the tax position of one earner families versus two earner families.
I am not sure whether the hon. member across the way has taken the time to do that.
In the haste to get into this us against them, one earner versus two earners, they completely ignored the measures the government has taken to try to provide fairness in the tax system.
Again, is he fundamentally opposed to the progressivity in the tax system? Underlying the member's motion here this morning is opposition to that very principle.
The Reform Party, by putting forward this motion and the arguments I have heard so far, has never once mentioned or indicated to the House that it supports the progressivity in the tax system, that those who earn more money have certain obligations in terms of the tax system.
Could the hon. member across the way speak to that and say that his party supports the progressivity in the tax system?