Madam Speaker, I know the member who just spoke has a compelling interest in the rights and advantages to workers as I do. I grew up in Saskatchewan, good CCF country when I was a kid and later NDP country.
I have always felt that it was important to fight for the little guy, the one struggling to make ends meet. In fact what brought me into parliament was observing so many people struggling to make ends meet because of their high tax load.
The question I wish to ask the hon. member has to do with this new exemption for tools for mechanics. I do not how aware she is of this. I know she is not a regular member of the finance committee but I am wondering if she has had some input from her constituents on this issue.
In my view that measure in the bill is completely inadequate. It has a $1,000 ceiling on the amount of expenses that can be claimed to reduce one's taxable income. It is even lower than that if one's income is less than $20,000. It would only apply to apprentice students and not to people who work as mechanics day after day and suffer the long term losses of their tools or needing to replace them because of obsolescence.
Has the hon. member had any input from her constituents on that question?