Hear, hear, Madam Speaker. The home renovation tax credit has been very popular and so the question arises as to what will happen after the years 2009-10 when presumably it will be over. It is a very good example of how the economic stimulus package has been designed in a way that is very short-sighted and there are many things that could have been done in a more structural way in terms of our income tax system and providing tax credits. I have already talked about the housing program.
This could have been a piece of a much more comprehensive program around housing affordability and allowing homeowners to do renovations but also ensuring that low-income people would be able to qualify, particularly for energy retrofit, where they are facing housing that is very unsafe or unhealthy. People are facing moulds and heating systems that are way out of date, and it is very difficult for them to find the financial resources to deal with those.
With regard to small businesses, this is a very interesting point. We often do not speak enough about what small businesses contribute to our society and the jobs they provide and the enormous time, energy and hours small business owners put into their operation. Often it is a labour of love, and they do not get paid a lot. There could have been a program based on a green energy outcome that might have addressed their needs in terms of the building they own or in which they operate. I am sure there are millions of small business operators who would have taken advantage of something like that. I think these are very good suggestions from the member, but they unfortunately point out that although we are supporting the bill before us as far as it goes, it could have done so much better.