Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask a question concerning whether the Liberals have the courage to reverse the course of the financial crisis.
The member opposite talks a lot about food banks and income supports, but people, in general, do not want to have to use those things. They want to keep their paycheque, but they cannot keep their paycheque, as he mentioned, if they lose their job. Over 80,000 people have lost their job since the Prime Minister took office.
The Liberals and the member opposite have been talking a lot about tax cuts for a lot of Canadians since they have been in office, but we need to remember that someone cannot receive a tax cut if they do not have a job. Over 80,000 people have lost their job. The members opposite can talk about having food banks and dental services available, but people just want to take care of themselves. They want to be able to afford to put food on the table themselves by keeping their job.
Last month, the Parliamentary Budget Officer revised Canada's economic outlook downward and delivered a warning we cannot afford to ignore. According to the PBO, our growing deficits are “alarming”, “stupefying”, “shocking” and “unsustainable”. I do not think he is making that up, and those are shocking statements. He said that while Canada has not gone over the edge, it is looking over the cliff.
With the Prime Minister, the Liberals have nearly doubled the deficit spending since March. This year's deficit is projected to be $68 billion, far exceeding the $40-billion ceiling Justin Trudeau promised last year, but instead of reversing course, the government has committed to even more spending, and ordinary Canadians are shouldering the cost.
In B.C., where my riding is, and throughout Canada, people are losing their job. Mills are closing because they are unable to secure a softwood lumber deal. People are losing their job, and I hope my colleague across the aisle will not talk about the Liberals' helping people as much as they can with services like food banks and that type of thing. That is great temporarily, but how are we going to give people their job and their dignity back in places like sawmills, where generations have worked yet they are now shutting their doors.
Canadian families are falling behind. Their paycheque buys less at the pump and at the grocery store, if they still have a paycheque. Generations of families who have worked at a certain place are losing their job. They do not want a handout; they want to keep their job. I know I have repeated that, but it seems like the Liberals do not understand. It is great to have safety nets, but let us keep businesses going by being fiscally responsible. The damage is not limited to one sector; when one industry falls in a small town, local economies suffer, small businesses suffer and the cycle deepens.
Will the Liberals have the courage to reverse course on the financial crisis?