Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your appointment. I would also like to congratulate the member for Wetaskiwin on his election.
The hon. member mentions chipping away or eroding family structures and presents income splitting as one solution to that problem. However, this leaves behind individuals. What about single mothers or persons with disabilities? What about individuals trying to get by? Has the hon. member considered these individuals who would be left behind?
How can the member stand behind a throne speech that continues tax cuts to large corporate winners and ignores the opportunities to use those taxes to invest in Canadians? The 1% GST reduction was about $6 billion, which would be enough to fund post-secondary education for every student in Canada.
Why have we not seen a throne speech that invests in people, both individuals and families, who are the backbone of any strong economy?