Mr. Speaker, there is a fundamental assumption built into the submission the hon. member just made that is completely false. I believe it was designed by the opposition to mislead Canadians.
Unequivocally, the vast majority of Canadians are paying less tax and are better off today than they were when we took office in 2015. There is absolutely no way a person can honestly dispute that fact.
With respect to the economic growth that has taken place, more Canadians are earning an income. That is great. The measures we have put in place demonstrate that Canadian families are better off.
We implemented a middle-class tax cut for Canadians, which reduced income tax for nine million Canadians and raised it for the wealthiest 1%. The opposition voted against that. We also implemented the Canada child benefit, which put more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families and stopped the sending of child care cheques to millionaires. The opposition voted against that too.
Every time we seek to implement a measure that helps the majority of Canadians who may not be at the top of the food chain, the opposition votes against it. Then its members have the courage to stand up in the House and tell us that Canadians are somehow worse off, which flies in the face of every piece of objective evidence, whether coming from federal departments or the Parliamentary Budget Officer. It is ludicrous.
In my riding, the Canada child benefit puts an average of $6,800 in the pockets of families who receive it. This is a meaningful change, and it makes a difference. Canadians are better off.