Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the historic speech that the Minister of Finance just made. I congratulate her on that.
It has been a long wait for a budget, as members know. Canadians have been hit hard by the pandemic, and front-line workers, who are looking for measures and a functioning paid sick leave program, are going to come away profoundly disappointed by this budget. However, billionaires will be happy because they continue to get a free ride. At a time of overwhelming inequality and unprecedented increases in wealth for Canada's billionaires, the Liberal government has refused to put into place a wealth tax or end pandemic profiteering on the backs of Canadians.
All it has given us is a vague promise to collect the $25 billion we lose every year to tax havens.
The question is very simple. Why do the government, the finance minister and the Prime Minister refuse to put into place measures so that the ultrawealthy in this country pay their fair share?