Madam Speaker, my colleague does not need to become annoyed. To start with, there may be a point on which we both agree, and that is the fact that we should absolutely do something to bridge the widening gap between the rich and the poor. This is a message in the throne speech. It is important that our society reduce this gap.
The hon. member mentioned two more points. First, a word about the EI fund. There is no such thing as a separate fund in which we put money aside for EI. That is not the way it works. Right now, this fund is included in the general revenues. This matter could eventually be debated, but, for the time being, there is no separate fund. It is lumped with public finances, like all other revenues and expenditures. We have years with a surplus and others with a deficit. It is all part and parcel of the same thing. Many years ago, back in 1986, the Auditor General told the government that that was the way to proceed.
Secondly, let us talk about the wise use of tax money. My colleague is right. It is important to use it wisely. That is what is suggested in the throne speech. We know what the federal government gives to the municipalities, and we know on what it agrees with them, for example concerning the infrastructure. These moves should be applauded. We should be glad that a government recognizes the needs in matters of health, municipal infrastructure, and the environment. That is really how the money Canadian taxpayers pay to the federal government, the provinces and the municipalities should be used. There is only one taxpayer.