Mr. Speaker, I can only say that the member's intervention shows what kind of dysfunctional, delusional and incestuous discussions they have within the Conservative caucus.
What he said is simply not true. Eighty per cent of Canadian families are actually earning less now than they were in 1989. The delusion that somehow Canadians are prospering when it is only the banks, the oil companies and the very wealthy that have any money just shows to what extent the Conservatives are out of touch.
I was interested in what he said about financial management. The Department of Finance did a study of governments and actually found that the NDP manages money best, the Liberals are the worst and the Conservatives are just as bad as the Liberals in many cases. It did a long term study and it turns out that the NDP manages money better.
The budget has a number of elements. First, we know P3s are much more costly to the taxpayer than simply investing in good public infrastructure. Second, there is the billion dollar subsidy to the oil and gas industry. It is the most profitable industrial sector and the Conservatives keep shovelling money off the back of a truck to that sector. There is $9 billion in corporate tax cuts. What a ridiculous situation it is when there are record corporate profits and the Conservatives are shovelling more money at that sector. Finally, there is the $400 million that Hollinger was supposed to pay and the Conservative government said, “We forgive. You don't have to pay taxes if you're wealthy”. That is $400 million on their watch. The Conservatives forgave that money.
How does the member think the Conservatives have any financial management credibility whatsoever when all we see from them is the same boondoggles we saw under the Liberals?