Mr. Speaker, to begin with, I would like to take a moment to thank the people of Papineau for giving me the honour of representing them here in this House. It is a responsibility I will fulfill with grace and humility.
The government is at last admitting that Canada will, as it has under previous Conservative governments, again have a budget deficit.
Through this past decade Canada has faced many other crises, from SARS to BSE to currency crises in Mexico and Asia to September 11 itself and always we have managed to maintain our surplus while investing in innovation, in families and in opportunities for all Canadians.
Had this government followed the basic principles of financial administration that were in place when it took over, it could have defended the interests of Canadians, while at the same time being in a position to generate a budget surplus.
Will this government make a commitment to restore Canada to a healthy and socially responsible economy, with practices and principles similar to those it inherited two and one half years ago?