Mr. Speaker, that is the kind of Mickey Mouse mathematics that I was talking about in referring to the Conservative Party. We have not had a word of reason or sense from that group throughout the course of this debate. It is about time to set the record straight.
It is clear that if the Conservatives do not want to listen to us and do not want to realize that the Minister of Finance did come to his senses and recognize the error of their ways and was prepared to see this money invested in important job creation initiatives, then let me refer back to some experts who are unlikely allies of the NDP.
Let me in fact refer to the president and CEO of Husky Injection Moulding Systems Limited, who said:
I commend the Prime Minister for continuing to demonstrate fiscal prudence while at the same time embracing sound social policy. The social policy acceleration announced by the Prime Minister and [the leader of the NDP] yesterday should be viewed as an investment in our future, our children's future and the future of our country. It is time to stop playing politics and to start governing.
Let me also refer to in fact the famous economist Michael McCracken, who said:
What does happen when you take away four-plus billion and start spending it on people is you get jobs...You get bigger bang for your buck. Whether that's on education, on health, on child care.
That in essence is what the NDP has offered up here, a re-profiling of the budget. It moved in the direction of a being a bit more sensible than it was. We should all be celebrating this event, not commiserating about it.