Mr. Speaker, first, the government does not set the basis for controlling inflation in this country, the Bank of Canada does. The government can claim all it wants that it controls inflation but it is the Bank of Canada that controls inflation by controlling the money supply.
As the member has said, the government has been in surplus for eight years but they are obscene surpluses. It has surpluses because it is taking in far more money than it needs. Last year's surplus was $9.1 billion. I do not know what this year's surplus will be, probably $10 billion or $11 billion. It means that the government is taking money out of the pockets of individuals and companies and accumulating it here in Ottawa so it can be frittered away on various programs to help Liberal ridings.