Mr. Speaker, I would like to come back to the remarks made by my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.
I would like to tell her that, at the outset, in certain aspects, the Liberal motion seems to be very partisan. The government left itself open to that because many elements look like improvisation; for example, GST rebates for tourists. They found it necessary to adjust the program that had been announced. As for the income trust program, we can consider the decision to reverse the government’s position. The Conservatives had made a commitment not to change their position. I am not talking about the definitive solution but about the message that was sent. Many small investors in all of our communities had put their savings into these trusts and then found themselves in a difficult situation.
The latest measure concerns interest deductibility. In that respect, what is spelled out, word for word, in the budget needs to be clarified because the parliamentary secretary is right and the implementation bill for that part of the budget has not yet been tabled.
Can the parliamentary secretary assure us that the proposal that will be tabled will not have the effect of throwing the baby out with the bath water?
We must ensure there is nothing unnecessary and that the issue of deductibility is sufficiently specific so that the Canadian economy is not harmed in a significant way. Can the parliamentary secretary reassure us on that point in such a way as to rise above this very partisan debate that is sending very negative signals to the Canadian economy and even beyond Canada?
At the same time, the government must be very specific in assuring us that, in the end, the measures will be sufficiently focused to achieve the desired results and not the reverse of what was hoped for in the beginning.