Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment on the government's budget.
While I commend the government for following the Reform Party's advice and eliminating bracket creep, I believe this budget could have gone much further when it comes to tax cuts for average Canadians.
I wonder why the government continues to pile money into programs rather than health care and education where it is needed. Added transfer payments to the provinces of $2.5 billion over the next four years does not come close to meeting the needs of our hospitals and schools.
The public is crying out for an end to the waiting lists for hospital beds but the government would rather pour money into HRDC and Canadian heritage programs which often go to Liberal friends and insiders.
For every dollar the government is giving back in tax cuts, it is still spending $2 on programs. Has the government learned nothing from its billion dollar mishandling of taxpayers' money? Canadians deserve better.