Mr. Speaker, I am certainly pleased to have an opportunity to speak to the 2007 economic update.
I must say, though, that it is a woefully inadequate document. It simply does not take Canada in the direction that Parliament and the House of Commons is obligated to take our country. It quite simply sees this government, as with the past government, taking Canada down the wrong path.
It is not a balanced approach and it completely overlooks an unprecedented opportunity to invest in the people and the communities of this nation.
If we think about it, year after year we have seen incredible surpluses, surpluses that could have been invested in a way that is appropriate and helpful.
The point is that we have not had any real investment in this country. We have not had a new social program in the last 30 years. This government and the government before it had all kinds of chances to invest in national housing, child care, students, and in every juncture but both failed and failed quite miserably.
New Democrats are very concerned about the economic statement and we want to make it very clear that we will not be supporting the government's financial statement. We see it has no promise for the people we represent.
What we wanted and did not get was a balanced approach, investment in people and communities, targeted tax relief for those who need it most, and a chance to close that ever increasing prosperity gap.
I would like to speak a little bit about the reality that I see in my constituency and what this budget will not mean for the people of London—Fanshawe.