Mr. Speaker, income inequality has always been an important issue for the Liberal Party. A couple of years ago, the Liberal Party critic introduced a private member's motion that was ultimately passed by the House of Commons.
With regard to the motion that has been brought forward today, I take some exception to the NDP aiming all of the criticism to the Conservatives and the Liberals. The NDP needs to recognize that there is federal-provincial joint responsibility with regard to taxation issues. A third party should be included in terms of what is being asserted here. For example, from 1991 to 2001 the NDP was in power in B.C. That government took B.C.'s level of income inequality from fourth place across Canada to the worst in Canada.
Would the member not at the very least acknowledge that it is not just one or two political parties that need to improve? Would he not include his own party? If we want to get ahead on this issue of income inequality, we need to deal with its core issue and how we could best enhance that. Our motion that passed in the House two years ago was an attempt to do that. A committee would have discussed the issue and come up with recommendations and ideas that would have had a tangible impact.