Madam Speaker, people like Stanley Knowles, Tommy Douglas, M.J. Caldwell and J.S. Woodsworth were supported by many great New Democrats in the House.
Mr. Stanley Knowles definitely had the support of my colleagues from Regina—Qu'Appelle, Burnaby—Douglas and Winnipeg—Transcona who have been long serving members in the House. Without their support and encouragement, they could not have carried on their fight for pensioners.
If we took the Alliance's approach to investment in pension plans, we would have a terrific number of people within a very few short years living well below the poverty line, and a lot of those people would be seniors. Prior to 1960, 33.6% of all seniors were living below the poverty line. After the Canada pension plan and the Quebec pension plan came in, that figure dropped in 1995 to about 11% of all seniors living below the poverty line.
A public pension plan has definitely assisted many pensioners and couples and has ensured that they will have a quality of life in their retiring years.
First, Canadians would never accept it If we opened it up to the world market, the casino market trade, stocks, et cetera, as my colleague suggested that the Alliance would do. That is why the Alliance will never go anywhere electorally in the country. Second, it would be very dangerous. In a few short years we would see a lot more Canadians living in poverty because the pension would not be there for them.