Mr. Speaker, the hon. member talked a great deal about cutting back and all kinds of great things. I suppose the GST was also reflected. What he did not mention, though, was the social and environmental debts. Those are very real debts.
All five economists in today's papers said clearly that the GST cut was absolutely the wrong and worst idea and that it will do nothing for business and nothing for people. Does the hon. member know, or does he not want to listen, that according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 86% of Canadians want us to work on the growing gap between the have and have nots or the poor; that 49% of Canadians say that they are two missed paycheques away from poverty; that 85% of Canadians want government to tackle poverty; that 90% of Canadians want affordable university and college tuition; that 85% of Canadians want affordable housing for low income people; that 80% of Canadians want affordable quality child care; and that 80% of Canadians want the minimum wage raised? We are wasting capital by cutting the GST.
Would the hon. member tell me how we will address these very real issues of Canadians who are on the margins, whose incomes have not increased realistically in 15 years when we have had 15 years of sustained economic success with huge surpluses, huge surpluses that you are throwing away on a cut to the GST which will do nothing for our economy, social well-being, environment or the poor in our country.