Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Bourassa for his question. I think this is the first time we have had the opportunity to talk directly to each other since his election to this institution.
Yes, I think the situation is a bone of contention, which has been widely reported in the media. The controversy did in fact start when Mr. Flaherty expressed serious reservations about whether income splitting was viable and appropriate. We then saw that the members of the Conservative caucus where very divided on it. There are some who are very much in favour of this measure. The voices supporting it are generally the ones of social Conservatives. That is because income splitting is an incentive. This measure is seen by a number of groups who are in favour of social conservatism in Canada as a measure that will encourage women to stay at home.
Take, for example, people with incomes of $100,000 or $150,000. Whether we like it or not, income disparity in our society is still considerable. There are significantly more men than women with high incomes. Clearly, if women stay at home, income splitting will be possible, whereas if women work, the gains will not be nearly as great. That might explain why the social Conservatives are in favour of these measures and why the fiscal Conservatives are against them. The fiscal Conservatives, as we see here, want the government to eventually use the surplus to pay down the debt and reinvest in important public services.
In that respect, I can indeed see a division within the Conservative caucus, and I look forward to seeing how our colleagues opposite will vote on this motion.