Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Liberal member who just spoke. I agree with his criticisms of the Canadian Alliance, the old Reform Party. Far be it from me to come to its defence, but it was very interesting that he kept blaming the Canadian Alliance for its very conservative agenda. My question for the member is, why is the government basically being driven by the Reform Party? Why has it followed the Canadian Alliance agenda?
The member has a background that is very sensitive to the trade union movement, ordinary working people and progressive movement, but the government across the way is more conservative than Brian Mulroney.
I was here in the Mulroney days and Brian Mulroney would never have cut back on health care like the Liberal government has done. Brian Mulroney would never have cut back on the CBC and Radio Canada like this government has done. Brian Mulroney would never have cut back any of the social programs like this government has done.
Why is this government so afraid of the Reform Party, the new Canadian Alliance? Why has it adopted so much of the Canadian Alliance agenda? Why is it so conservative? I hope the member will answer that question rather than just provide a bunch more rhetoric because it is a curiosity and I hear that question often from my constituents. They ask me “Why is this government so conservative? Why is this probably the most conservative government we have had since the second world war? Is it because the government is so afraid of the Alliance and the Alliance agenda? Why has it picked up so much of that agenda?”