Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time today with the member for Newton—North Delta.
This budget clearly lacks vision, focus and a plan for the future of Canada at a time when we face significant economic challenges and headwinds. It is more important now than ever to have governments that look ahead, not at this week's polls but on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead 10 years, 20 years, 30 years into the century.
The fact is the budget accomplishes very little. It tries to appeal to the public in many ways by seeming to address critical issues across a wide span of issues, but without actually investing enough in any given issue or challenge to accomplish the desired outcome.
The Conservatives have brought us precariously close to a deficit position in only two years. The fact is the Conservatives inherited the best fiscal situation of any incoming government in the history of Canada. In a two year period, it has frittered that advantage away by spending like drunken sailors and, at the same time, cutting consumption taxes.
The contingency fund now has been removed from the Conservative economic planning. Next year we are tracking to only a $2.3 billion surplus, the year after that a $1.3 billion surplus.