Madam Speaker, it is nice to hear the Reform Party complaining about a debt or a deficit going down. It is an interesting reversal.
As we have stated many times, and I know the hon. member agrees, the surplus was created by the government putting into the legislated plan the amount of money which an actuarial evaluator determined was required each year to ensure that enough money was available to pay for the service. Unfortunately, because of the way the legislation was written, we cannot take the whole plan into account even when there is a surplus and determine that the government put in less money.
Also, taking into account that CPP premiums have been going up and the percentage of employee contributions was maximized at 7.5%, which became less of a percentage overall, that meant that the government had to continue putting more money in to satisfy the needs of the pension plan on a current year basis.
It is important that the government correct this difference so that all Canadians are treated fairly. I know that the hon. member would want that. Taking into account what this would do for Canadians at large is an important step. We take into account the added moneys the government put into the plan to ensure that the actuarial evaluator was satisfied. Even though it was more than the government needed to put in, it will allow the government to deal with its finances and to ensure that the needs of Canadians with respect to health care and all other needs are met. We have to ensure that we are not paying the $42 billion interest payments per year solely for that, which I know my hon. colleagues in the NDP and the Bloc are concerned about.
The hon. member is correct in stating that the $2.5 billion will be a benefit to Canadian taxpayers. That money will be available to put into the programs that we all care about, such as child poverty and homelessness. Unfortunately the NDP is making sure that its union friends are protected in this process. They too know, as other pension groups know, that this money belongs to Canadian taxpayers. We on this side of the House want to ensure that all Canadians benefit from the money that Canadian taxpayers pay.