Mr. Speaker, I was really struck by something that the hon. member said in reference to reinforcing Canada's image abroad and making indeed Canada an investment friendly country and giving a positive image to the world.
As a member of a government that inherited a $42 billion deficit that we had to eliminate; that provided Canadians with the largest tax cut in Canadian history of $100 billion, both personal as well as corporate; and that made investments in R and D and innovation, it really gave an image to the world that in fact Canada was no longer a country threatened by the IMF knocking on its doorstep but was rather a country that was able to have great economic growth through the wise investments that were made.
While I of course support the principle of the bill, I do want to express, after conversations with individuals particularly in the business community, a concern I have about recent measures taken by the government. It relates to, for example, the tax on income trusts. How does that bring greater confidence to the investment markets, not to mention the issue of interest deductibility?
While this measure that we are talking about today is indeed a positive measure, I must say that we as a country and the Conservative government need to be aware of the fact that these types of measures will not give confidence to foreigners to look at Canada as a friendly investment place.
There has to be greater consistency. I am just wondering whether or not the hon. member shares the concern that I have on income trusts, the billions of dollars that seniors lost as well as the issue of interest deductibility that really hinders Canadian companies to further expand in a world that is truly globalized.