Mr. Speaker, the alternative was a Liberal Party, led by the Prime Minister, that believed the middle class deserves better. Voters saw that while the wealthiest one per cent of society had seen their incomes more than double in the last 30 years, middle-class incomes had stagnated.
Middle-class Canadians were doing all the right things—studying hard, working hard, and making a real contribution to the Canadian economy—but their hard work was not paying off in higher incomes. We in the Liberal Party said that was not fair. Canadians agreed and voted in favour of our promise to give a tax break for the middle class.
I am happy to note that we have already kept this promise and lowered the middle-class income tax rates, saving the average middle-class family in Winnipeg South and across Canada hundreds of dollars per year. Middle-class voters gave us their trust, and we have lived up to it.
Budget 2016 will literally help build Canada and prepare it for the future. Our budget proposes to invest up to $11.9 billion over the next five years on a cash basis to maintain and upgrade federal infrastructure assets that provide services all Canadians can rely on. These assets include things like public transit, cultural and recreational facilities, green infrastructure that represents the economy of the future, universities and community colleges, as well as things like roads and bridges. A robust infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy, and budget 2016's new spending will continue to build the things that Canadians want and need.
This new spending will also create tens of thousands of jobs.
I have mentioned only a few of the many things that our new budget will do to improve the lives of Canadians. These are first steps, but they are important steps and ones that set us on a bold new path compared to the recent past.
I began my remarks by saying how proud I am to serve as the member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and how proud I am to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. This new budget reaffirms the values of our party and our government. It is only the beginning. In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to take steps to strengthen families, build our infrastructure for the future, and support the middle class.
I would like to conclude by saying that none of these initiatives or new programs would mean anything without the help and hard work of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. As a Liberal, I believe that governments and the people who elect them work together to make society a better place. Governments can provide leadership, to be sure, but it is the people who create the co-operative spirit required to build great societies.
As we move forward from this first budget, I know that my constituents in Winnipeg South are ready to face the future with a new optimism and a new hope for the great things that we will achieve together.