Mr. Speaker, I know the minister across the way wants to ask questions of me as the finance critic that the NDP would not in fact reverse income splitting for pensioners. I think he can put that conspiracy to the side.
To my friend across the way, I rarely do this, but for this debate it is important to have illustrations and make things personal at times. The way that the Conservatives have constructed this scheme, many families, what we sometimes call traditional families—father, mother and kids—would not benefit from an income splitting scheme, if they happen to be in the same tax bracket, if the kids are too old. There are all of these exemptions. There are more exemptions than inclusions.
However, those who will benefit are those Canadians where one of the couple is making a great deal of money and the other is making much less. That is the way that this is set up. For me as a member of Parliament, we are well compensated, on average $160,000 or so; ministers make more, et cetera. In my circumstance, the way that this is described, I and my family could benefit by as much as $5,000 or $6,000. However, those families that the minister and the Conservatives seem to care about, who are earning $50,000 or $40,000, who may even apply for this and be compensated, would earn a couple of hundred dollars.
Why would families in the very highest tax brackets get as much as $5,000 or $6,000 of benefit from a program, when they arguably do not need it, where the middle-income families, whom the Conservatives seem to care about suddenly, would receive almost nothing? What is the equity in that? How is that going to fix the income disparity that we see in this country?