Mr. Speaker, for a week now government ministers have leaked budget proposals and said “trust us”. Today's budget just proved that they cannot be trusted to deliver.
In this economy, when workers are worried about losing their jobs, the government just announced that it prioritized $60 billion in corporate tax cuts and it found only $1.15 billion for the unemployed. Clearly, the leopard could not change its spots. This government still cannot be trusted to act on the concerns of hard-working Canadians.
Let us look at it in more detail. This budget fails to reform employment insurance; it does not freeze weekly rates; it maintains the two-week waiting period; and it does not improve eligibility requirements. There is absolutely no commitment to child care spaces. This budget maintains the attack on women's rights to pursue pay equity complaints. There are absolutely no initiatives for veterans or seniors by increasing old age security. Infrastructure commitments remain out of reach for most municipalities that simply cannot match the funds. There is absolutely no strategy for a green car industry.
Yes, this government is full of rhetoric, but rhetoric is not real change and Canadians deserve better.
Would the minister tell us why hard-working Canadians should trust him this time when they have not been able to trust him since he has come into office?