Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to my friend talk about what the $3,500 could be used for. I would like to tell my friend what it can be used for, not necessarily just to go out to work.
How about some of those seniors who call me and tell me that last year they lost their GIS because their refrigerator went on the blink and they had to go into their savings account and draw some money out, which made them ineligible for some of the GIS, so it went down. Those are the people we are listening to.
We are also listening to some of the people who say that we need more jobs in our country. The way to create more jobs in our country is to develop a climate where companies want to invest.
For the gloom and doomers in here, I want to say that 7,000 jobs will be created in Baie Comeau over the next little while because ALCOA is investing in an aluminum smelter plant on the north shore. This is a move, the company says, that will help safeguard thousands of jobs in that province. That did not just happen by accident. We are making Canada a place to invest, a place where 7,000 jobs can be created because a company is expanding in an area.
What is so wrong with a budget that creates 7,000 jobs? What is so wrong with a budget that does not want to claw back seniors' GIS because their refrigerator is going on the blink? What is so wrong with that kind of budget?