Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague from Laval for sharing her time with me and for her analysis of the status of women. I am sure that she could tell us much more, and that it would all be just as interesting as what she has already said. Unfortunately, the government will not have the pleasure of hearing more just now, but I am sure that she will return to the subject in the future.
I am also pleased to see that my colleague from Jeanne-Le Ber, who has taken over as citizenship and immigration critic, is here in the House today. Although I appreciate the current government's investment in accelerating citizenship and immigration case processing, I find that it has done very little about refugees. Also, the government could have done a lot more about the fees that must be paid by permanent residents coming to Canada.
Without further ado, I would like to talk about the minority Conservative government's third federal budget. I wish I could say that the government has listened to the people, but that is certainly not the case. The day after the budget was presented, Quebeckers, on the whole, reacted negatively.
I want to remind this government that we told them about the threat of an economic slowdown and about the need to change course accordingly. Unfortunately, I have no cure for the government's plugged ears; they remain deaf to the demands of the Quebec people.
I will not support this budget, and the reasons are very simple. The Bloc Québécois consulted several communities throughout Quebec. From these consultations, we determined some guidelines, or six priorities that the government should focus on.
The government should address the crisis in the manufacturing and forestry industries, for which there was a request for $5.5 billion.
We also wanted the government to restore dignity to seniors who receive the guaranteed income supplement and still live under the poverty line and the low-income cutoff. We were calling for $3.9 billion in retroactivity. When the government was in the opposition, it promised to reimburse seniors.
We wanted $3.5 billion to increase education transfers.
The government should invest $1 billion for status of women and social housing.
Furthermore, $398 million is needed to promote culture.
Lastly, we wanted $1 billion to make a 180-degree turn on the environment.
In the riding of Vaudreuil—Soulanges, more than 400 people told us their expectations for the budget and the use of the surplus. We carefully analysed all the proposals sent to my constituency office. There were expectations concerning measures for seniors, the environment, taxation, health, families, education, housing, and so on. We analysed all the recommendations and expectations shared by the public. I can also say that people had some rather high expectations concerning the use of the surplus.
This was a fantastic example of public participation, and I would like to thank these people for their help. The results have been made public.
I should add that there was a huge amount of support for seniors who are not receiving fully retroactive guaranteed income supplement payments and are living below the poverty line. The Conservative government will have to answer for its actions and its political choices. Here again, the response greatly exceeded our expectations, and I would like to thank the local stakeholders and community organizations for their contribution. We are getting results when politics serves the people and not the reverse.
The Conservative government brought down a very slim budget and did not listen to repeated calls to use a portion of the surplus before March 31, 2008. Quebeckers want a change in direction and major gains for Quebec. Today they are disappointed, and this budget does not come anywhere near reflecting their interests and values.
In the past two years, this Conservative government has spouted its ideology and slashed social programs without any real debate here in the House or in society at large. It is shameful. The government has not even made a commitment to develop foreign policy or defence policy to justify the militarization of Canada. It makes no sense.
Mr. Speaker, in their budget, the Conservatives decided to put all their extra cash towards the debt. They increased military spending, maintained help to western oil companies and promoted nuclear development while entire sectors of Quebec's economy, hit by crises in the manufacturing and forestry sectors, are suffering because of Ottawa's laissez-faire attitude.
Workers have also been abandoned and many organizations were counting on this budget for a little help. It is true the Conservatives established a reserve for the employment insurance fund but they are endorsing pillage of the fund by refusing to return the $54 billion already drawn. This money belongs to workers and employers. The government must return it. Unemployed workers would also like to see the EI system improved.
The Conservatives turned a deaf ear to farmers and cattle producers, who were expecting much more aid in view of the urgent issues and the income crisis they face. There is nothing new in the budget for these vital economic sectors in Quebec. If that were not enough, the government went so far as to give $250 million to Ontario's automobile industry when Quebec's problems are just as urgent. In fact, the Conservatives refused to meet the needs expressed by industry and all sectors, including the Government of Quebec.
The Conservatives were in a position to meet Quebec's needs given that there is a surplus of $13 billion for the 2007-08 fiscal period, according to government figures, and room to manoeuvre with the $8.2 billion surplus for 2008-09, according to Bloc Québécois calculations, which have proven to be on the mark, year after year.
The Harper government intends to use the entire budget surplus to pay down the debt—