Mr. Speaker, the first word that comes to my mind is, “wow”. The member across the way sure knows how to read off the Conservatives' talking points. Who cares if they are true or not? That seems to be the attitude in the speech we just heard. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have a government that understands and appreciates the value of small business. We have a government that understands and appreciates the importance of the middle class and those aspiring to be part of it, and our policies reflect that. It is only the Conservative Party that consistently rejects it.
There have been decreases in the small business tax and we committed to a further decrease in the small business tax. We created hundreds of millions of dollars of disposable income for nine million-plus Canadians. We increased the Canada child benefit, putting millions of dollars into the pockets of individuals who need it the most, children and those who care for children, lifting thousands of children out of poverty. We have invested in seniors. What do members think people are doing with that disposable income? They are spending it, and by spending it, they are creating jobs.
This government has created close to 500,000 jobs in two years. Harper created close to 1.2 million, mostly part-time, jobs in 10 years. Look at what we have done in two years, with a projection during the last federal election that the economy was not going to do well. Liberals disagree. We have a different approach, and that approach is supporting Canada's small businesses. Those are the types of policies that we have created.
There is Conservative spin, which I refer to as the unholy alliance between the Conservatives and the NDP, and they try to turn it into a negative when, in fact, this is good news. Jobs are being created and the economy is moving forward, the degree to which is far greater than most other countries in the western world. These are the types of policies that we are seeing. What do we have as a direct result? We have the official opposition working with the New Democrats in a persistent character assassination of the Minister of Finance. It does not matter what the Minister of Finance does. Whether it is the special tax on Canada's wealthiest or the tax break for Canada's middle class, it does not matter. The Conservatives and the NDP constantly criticize the Minister of Finance.
Now they are giving up because they know just how well our policies are being received by Canadians, so they are in the gutter. They are in the gutter, taking personal shots at the Minister of Finance, even though all members in the chamber have an obligation to report their assets to the Ethics Commissioner, and that is exactly what the Minister of Finance has done. There are individuals on both sides of the House that the commissioner looks into. However, they would rather stay in the gutter, take personal shots, and continue the character assassination of the finance minister, to which I say shame on them. They should be focusing on providing constructive criticism of the government, with ideas that they believe would help Canada's economy.