Yes, Madam Speaker, it is a continuation. I will give an example to the member opposite. Let us imagine what we should actually do. The Conservative leader came out yesterday and said he has a brand new, shiny policy. He is going to get rid of the GST on any homes that are being built, as long as they are under $1 million.
Now, I wonder where he got that idea from. Did he get it from some individuals who might be in a conflict? He possibly did. Maybe we should get the Ethics Commissioner or the Commissioner of Lobbying to take a look at where that idea originated from. I do not know where it came from. Maybe Canadians should know. Can the member clearly indicate and provide assurances that there is no one who would have provided him that advice who would have been in any form of a conflict whatsoever?
I remember when today's Deputy Prime Minister actually came and met with the Liberal caucus, while we were a third party inside the chamber. She talked about Canada's middle class and provided us information and thinking in terms of how we could ultimately enhance and support it. That was of great value. I would like to think that caucuses invite people with different levels of expertise to their meetings. Some might use the expert as an adviser, whether the Prime Minister, another minister or even me, to try to enhance the knowledge on an important issue.
There is no need to assassinate the character just because they do not like that particular individual or they believe that individual might be in a conflict position if this star is here and that star is there. We can put on our tin hat, and this is what we think. After all, even though that person is not in the cabinet or a member of caucus, it could be inappropriate. Therefore, they want to try to get some news attention on it and, by the way, come up with a slogan. They have one.
There are people in Canada who have a lot to offer. People do not have to be an elected official in order to be able to come to the table and offer good advice. Whether they are a member of Parliament who just has an interest in a topic area, a cabinet minister specializing in one policy area or the Prime Minister of Canada, I would like to think that we have an open mind to those individuals who have a certain level of expertise. I would argue that the Deputy Prime Minister today has more knowledge and ability to understand the issues of Canada's middle class than any other individual that I am aware of. Moreover, I have been aware of quite a few people over the years. She knows her stuff; that is why, at the end of the day, we see a healthier middle class in comparison with other countries. That is one of the reasons I was pleased to see the Deputy Prime Minister make a presentation to the national Liberal caucus at a time when we were in third party status; she could help us look at ways in which we could build sound public policy.