Mr. Speaker, the member presented a very good outline of the various acts and provisions and how the budget implementation act will work. I thank him especially for mentioning jewellery and microbreweries which will help the Yukon. He also made wonderful comments on how many of the provisions that the public sees as being so great will amount to about a cup of coffee. This happens many times when people analyze a budget.
However, I think the member went overboard when he said that the Bloc is defending the interests of Quebec. Last June when his party voted against Bill C-48, the Bloc voted against public transit, affordable housing, training, post-secondary education, and foreign aid. Quebeckers believe in all those things and the Bloc betrayed them. He said that people are being too complimentary and are bending to the Conservatives. The Bloc itself is doing that by supporting the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable.
Quebeckers do not believe in doing this on the backs of students. Quebeckers do not believe in increasing income tax rates for the poor, in abolishing Kelowna, in abolishing Kyoto. How could the Bloc members possibly vote for this budget? They have given two reasons, one being older workers. We all agree with that. A study has already been done and a pilot project is working. Yet we get weak answers from the minister that the pilot project has to be studied again. The Bloc got nothing.
On the fiscal imbalance, the member said in his speech that Quebec received $155 million in increased equalization. My riding of Yukon received none. His province lost three times more than that on day care. It lost hundreds of millions of dollars on day care and received a promise from the government that it would study the fiscal imbalance. Is taking money away from Quebec going to solve what the Bloc believes is the fiscal imbalance?
Could the member tell me why the Bloc supported the budget?