Mr. Speaker, in this budget the tariff increases are $330 million a year and the tariff decreases are $76 million a year. I would remind the hon. member that 333 is bigger than 76, so it is a net increase in tariff revenue, which means a net increase in tax. The member's government said it would not have any increases in tax, and that is my basic point.
In terms of the member's other point, an increase in the tariff on goods from China, India or Brazil is an increase in the tariff as much as an increase on any other country in the world. It is equally a tax increase and would equally disadvantage Canadian consumers.
If the government thinks that low tariffs on China are a bad thing but does not want to hit Canadian consumers, it should raise the tariff on China and reduce the tariff on other countries so as to neutralize the negative effect on Canadian households. The Conservatives have deliberately created a strong negative effect on Canadian middle-class households. It is a tax hike, and that is wrong.