Mr. Speaker, there is a cost of cutting taxes and in regard to the budget, there were some cuts. One was to totally abandon the Kelowna accord, which basically said no to aboriginal Canadians in terms of giving them a quality of life and respect.
It said no to climate change which has basically resulted in the cancellation of virtually every climate change initiative that the Government of Canada had implemented.
It said no to low income seniors. The child allowance, the $1,200, is taxable, but at the same time, as the government is giving the $1,200 allowance, it is cancelling the young child supplement of $249. Indeed, as a consequence of that, there is another clawback as well as the increase in the tax rate on the first level of taxation.
Low income Canadians will actually have to return to the government in terms of taxes or reduced benefits otherwise payable to the extent that a family making only $20,000 would get less than $200 of the $1,200, whereas a single earner family earning over $200,000, would in fact get $1,100 back.
The figures are there in the Caledon Institute report. Low income earners will be worse off than high income earners. Why is it that the member thinks it is important that we take care of high income earners before those in most need in Canada?