Hopefully the election is next year. Then we will see more spend, spend, spend to buy Canadian votes to try to win the election.
My colleague from Calgary—Nose Hill last week presented a motion in the House to deal with the crisis in health care. Even Liberal pollsters said that health care was the number one problem in the country that needed to be fixed. What did they do in the budget? There was a mere $2.5 billion after the major cuts had taken place over four years since 1993.
Yet the budget increased, it is amazing, by $1.5 billion grants and contributions, not to health care. The HRDC fiasco has shown what is happening to the grants. Grants and contributions are nothing but patronage, trying to buy votes and helping out their Liberal friends.
The same applies to EDC. The minister has been using confidentiality not to answer questions about loans. Where is the accountability of EDC to parliament? There is none. As a matter of fact today in the Globe and Mail it is stated quite clearly that there was influence by the government on the EDC's final report from the Gowling team. The government is using its grants and contributions to help its friends, not ordinary Canadians. What terrible mismanagement.
The two main things the Canadian Alliance offers are tax relief and to fix the health care system.
Let us look at our solution for tax. Our solution 17 is a flat tax rate that will take the government off the backs of taxpayers. Solution 17 will reduce the top federal-provincial tax level to roughly 29% over five years eventually freeing 1.9 million Canadians from paying taxes. Solution 17 says there will be a flat rate tax of 17%. The exemptions still remain and will rise to $10,000 per person. Those earning $20,000 or $30,000 who have a family of one and $40,000 for a family of four will not pay any taxes contrary to what people, even with small children, now pay of what they are earning.
We are talking of federal tax. My colleague over there was taking much credit for bringing unemployment down among other things. Let me tell him that it was on the backs of the provincial governments.
In closing, I say to Canadians do not be fooled by the Liberal budgets; they are designed to win your votes. At election time clearly say no to old style politics. I tell the Liberals this is the 21st century. It is time for change. Welcome to the Canadian Alliance.