Mr. Speaker, that simply is not true and the premise that New Democrats are a party of special interests is thoroughly flawed. We are a party that represents the vast majority of Canadians, the millions of hard-working middle-class and working-class families that go to work every day to try to put a paycheque on the table.
The median total family income in my riding of Vancouver Kingsway is $51,000 a year and 40% of the families in my riding live on total family income of less than $40,000 a year. This is a place where the average house costs $800,000 and the average two bedroom apartment rents for $1,200 a month.
I would ask my friend what special interests his government represents when it tables a budget that does nothing to address the housing problems faced by these people in our country? The budget does nothing to create affordable housing, child care or—