Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to respond to the NDP's 12 point program.
It is quite clear when it talks about saving Canada that it was the Liberal government elected in 1993 that approached its avenues to do exactly that and it started out by sending the Mulroney government packing. It was the Liberal government and the hard work of all Canadians that saved Canada from the $42 billion budget deficit that was left by the Tory government which included the current leader of the fifth party in the House today.
We saved billions of dollars in interest payments. With budget 2001 we brought down our fifth balanced budget, a first in 50 years. That is a major accomplishment for any government. We are forecasting balanced budgets or better for the two following years through to 2004. Canada will be the only G-7 nation to balance its books this year. Again, these are major accomplishments.
We made sure Canadians could save and take home more of their income. Canada has implemented the largest tax cut in its history, through which personal income taxes would fall on average by 35% for families with children.
In 2000 the Government of Canada announced that the general corporate tax rate would be reduced from 28% to 21% by 2004. Corporate tax rates would fall about 5% below the average of U.S. rates.
When we talk about who is saving Canada the Liberal Party of Canada and the present course that we are on would indicate how we propose to save Canada and ensure that we have the right plan, agenda and vision.
In particular to the 12 point plan to save Canada which is the new NDP platform I would like to speak about number 8 which talks about strengthening Canadian communities.
In our red book and in the throne speech we talked about establishing a dialogue with urban regions to look at how we could work better as a federal government with our cities. Cities are the product of the provincial governments and not directly under the responsibility of the federal government. As a federal government we are looking for a role to play. We established a dialogue. The Prime Minister established the urban caucus task force in May of last year made up of a cross-section of members of our party throughout the country.
We have toured eight specific urban regions. We have consulted with over 400 people. We have talked to academics, to professionals and many people about what the role of the federal government should be when it comes to our urban regions. Clearly this country is truly blessed with having such fine people in it, people who are so committed to this country that makes us all very proud to be Canadians.