Mr. Speaker, I thank the constituents of Hamilton East—Stoney Creek for returning me to this place. They sent me here with the understanding that we would do better.
As I listened to the Speech from the Throne today, I realized that Canadians were hoping for more and New Democrats were certainly expecting more. I waited to hear about affordable housing, child care or an increase to the pensions of Canadians.
Just a few days before the election, a citizen came into my office. He brought a pronouncement from the government which informed him that his pension would increase by 42¢ a month. In times such as these, it takes me back to the late days of the Harris government in Ontario when one of its ministers said, “Let the poor eat tuna”. Are we returning to that?