Mr. Speaker, I can defend it very easily. The member asked how we can justify taking holidays considering what is taking place in the economy, and she then went on to give misinformation about the economy.
What I tell residents of Winnipeg North is that we did put a special tax on the wealthiest 1%, but we also put into place the most substantial middle-class tax break in decades in this country that affects thousands of constituents in the riding I represent.
Our government substantially increased the Canada child benefit and put it on a sliding scale. Why would we provide a tax break to millionaires when there are individuals in Canada who are making less than $30,000 and are finding it difficult to make ends meet? The Canada child benefit program benefits thousands of my constituents.
We also increased the guaranteed income supplement, which takes some of the poorest seniors in our country out of poverty.
It is with pride that I say that our government has done so much to improve the quality of life for many people in this country, but there is still a lot more to do and we plan to do it.