Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we actually believe in reducing poverty, not increasing it. That is the difference between the two.
The finance minister has been benched all week, but he forgot to mention to his $800-a-plate Bay Street lunch crowd that the economic update shows that his supposed budget surplus is actually based entirely on surpluses in the EI account. Instead of helping the unemployed, the minister has decided to raid EI funds to cover the cost of his income-splitting scheme and pad his budget.
Why is the minister balancing his budget and giving tax cuts to the wealthy few on the backs of unemployed Canadians?