Mr. Speaker, about four months ago I asked the government why it seemed like the Liberals are always taking care of themselves. They are always able to get free, taxpayer-funded nannies, for instance, free trips to private islands, or free helicopter rides on private islands.
The finance minister and the Prime Minister set up complex accounting schemes to protect their family fortunes, but were going after ordinary Canadians who worked hard to create a small business and employ other Canadians so they could put food on the table.
I asked why Canadians always have to foot the bill to pay for the lifestyles of the rich and famous Liberals.
Since I asked that question, the former ethics commissioner came back with a report confirming that the Prime Minister of Canada was guilty of breaking the law in four separate places because of that trip to the Aga Khan's island, a billionaire's island. He was found guilty by the former ethics commissioner of improperly arranging his personal affairs. He was found guilty of accepting illegal gifts. He was found guilty of illegally accepting a ride on a private aircraft and he was found guilty of engaging illegally in discussions about government business.
When I raised that question at another time, the government House leader said the Prime Minister was found not guilty of three other charges that had been brought forward. She was actually proud of the fact that he was only found guilty of four of the seven possible violations of the ethics code and the members' code of conduct. It is really unbelievable that the government is proud of the fact that the Prime Minister was found guilty of breaching those sections four times. The Liberals are proud that he accepted the report. The only thing the report did was to find him guilty of breaching those sections.
Since asking that question, the finance minister has been found guilty of failing to disclose the corporation structure around his French villa. None of us on this side of the House have a French villa, but if we did we certainly would know that the right things had to be filed with the Ethics Commissioner to properly adhere to the code of conduct. The minister violated that as well.
Since my question originally was about why Canadians always have to pay when the Liberals get the free ride, I am wondering whether in the recent budget there is a single change to the tax structure that would cause the finance minister or the Prime Minister to pay one additional cent of tax because of their trust funds or their complex numbered companies.
Is there anything in the budget that would raise taxes on those Liberals or were the tax hikes just reserved for average Canadian families and small business owners?