Mr. Speaker, I do not know if I have had a chance to congratulate you since you assumed the important job you have to try to keep civility here in the House. I wish you well in the job because it is very important and it leaves a lot of challenges.
The Conservatives were very fortunate when they came into office and found themselves with $11 billion to invest in Canada or to choose their priorities. I do not disagree with all the investments in the budget but I do have issues with others.
The circumstances are very different from when the Liberals came into office in 1993 and had a $42 billion deficit to deal with. All Canadians and in fact all of us in this room had to make a lot of sacrifices to get that spending under control. We did not have the great latitude of getting into office and having all of that money that the Conservatives have to make their priorities and to fulfill their election promises.
One of the areas that does concern me is the whole issue of investing in our children. The Conservatives can call it whatever they like but building jails rather than investing in the opportunities to ensure our children are well-prepared for their future is an issue that we all need to be concerned about. Whether we are talking about our children, our grandchildren our nephews or our nieces, investing in children is extremely important.
I would much rather see you take away the money you are going to put into jails and invest it in ensuring there is opportunity for our children. I would like to hear your comments on that.