Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to say that I think my hon. colleague is the most powerful speaker in the entire House of Commons. One thing that is disturbing to me, listening to the speeches, is the disdain and the elitism I hear coming from the Conservatives. By talking about Pringles and cheese puffs, and by saying that this is insignificant and that it is chump change, it shows absolute disrespect and a lack of understanding of the real lives of most working families in this country.
My hon. colleague raised the point about people in the north who have to spend money on diapers, footwear and clothing. For people in harsher climates, there are probably additional clothing expenses, and this will give real relief, yet the Conservatives scoff at that.
For people in the House of Commons who make $200,000 a year to scoff at hundreds of dollars going to some of the poorest people in the country, it is frankly shameful.