Mr. Speaker, my colleague is trying to have it both ways. Let us talk about the economic health of the country. The Conservatives came to power back in 1988 and by 1993 the deficit was about $42 billion. The debt moved from $170 billion in 1988 to over $400 billion in 1993. It is fairly clear as history shows and it is documented everywhere that if this government had followed the Tory traditions of the late eighties and early nineties, by the year 2003-04 there would have been a zero transfer payment in the areas of health care and education.
This government first had to put the nation's fiscal house in order. It would have to eliminate the deficit. It would have to control the economic situation. It would have to reverse the trend of tremendous cuts the previous government had made to social programs and the spending of the previous government.
We have put the nation's fiscal house in order. We have controlled the debt. We have controlled the deficit. Now we are beginning to invest, unlike what those guys have done. Every year from 1988 to 1993 the Conservatives said they would reduce the deficit and they never once met their objectives or targets. Why should Canadians believe them when they say that they are going to do a better job than we are doing?