Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, I agree completely with the question and the premise of the question. Our government has made a commitment to Canadians that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them are our priority, and we are going to continue to make them our priority. In budget 2016, we saw some clear programs that illustrated our support for middle-class Canadians.
The first of those programs, as I mentioned in my speech earlier today, was the reduction of taxes for middle-class Canadians from 22% to 20.5%. It allowed many Canadians to have more money in their pockets, to spend more money, and to invest into the economy and again to stimulate that economy.
The other program that I am very proud of, as well, is the historic investment we have made with the Canada child benefit program. The Canada child benefit program has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, and it has made a clear difference in the lives of many Canadian families.
When it comes to our seniors, we have made again some significant investments to help the lives of our seniors. That is another measure that we took to help the middle class.
Finally with respect to the amount of money we have put in place with respect to the bill that is before us, the $444 million that has been put in place to help address the issue of tax evasion, we want to make sure Canadians are paying their fair share of taxes. That being said, as I have said time and again, most Canadians are paying their fair share of taxes; but for the ones who are not, we certainly want to make sure we have the processes in place to get the job done and also that those individuals can be prosecuted and receive the appropriate penalties.