Mr. Speaker, it is important at this stage to remind my hon. friend that since the depths of the recession we have created 820,000 net new jobs, one of the best records in the OECD. What my friend also forgets to mention is that Forbes magazine says that Canada is one of the best countries, if not the best country in the world, in which to invest.
He also needs to realize that we are not just talking about investment. We have been doing the things that a country must do to meet the challenges of the future. I admit we do still have too many people out of work and that is why this budget actually attacks that. How does it do it? It does it by making sure that small businesses continue to receive Government of Canada support by lowering their taxes and encouraging the hiring of new employees, as I mentioned in my speech, the $1,000 tax credit for hiring. This is huge in Northumberland—Quinte West and the member needs to know that this has received approval from almost every organization that represents small businesses as well as the Northumberland Manufacturers' Association.
The member quite rightly says that there are too many people out of work. We agree with that. That is what this budget does. It encourages people to find work and encourages small businesses to hire more people.