Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to rise in the House to speak on any issue but, in particular, a budget. This budget strikes the balance that Canadians were looking for in the recent election.
When I was campaigning, voters were telling me they wanted to see government get smaller. They wanted to see government reduce its cost and size, but at the same time, they wanted to ensure that government was going to protect those social programs that Canadians cherish and look to so much across this country. I certainly will be supporting this budget because this budget strikes that balance. It is a budget that invests in programs that support our seniors, that support families and that support those who are facing hardships.
It is important for those watching the proceedings of the House of Commons to clearly see the difference between the Conservative ideology and Liberal ideology. Liberals will always support the programs Canadians depend on, and there is nothing more glaring than in the area of seniors' pensions. I have been listening to speeches in the House from the opposition over the past number of months about the cost of living and its impact on those most vulnerable, primarily seniors.
However, if it was not for this government, then a senior aged 65 to 67 today would be living with $22,140 less, because this was the group of people that a former Conservative government decided did not need the support of the old age pension program or the guaranteed income supplement. If we think for a moment about a person in this age category, how would those costs, which continue to go up, impact them without this particular amount of money? At the time, Conservatives felt it was not important that seniors in this age category be given this public benefit, a benefit they worked so hard for over the years.
That was just old age pensions. The Canada child benefit is one of the programs that our government, in the early days, brought in that I am most proud of, because it fundamentally changed the lives of many families that were living and struggling financially. I can give case after case of families that tell me how important it is to them and how it allowed them to have their children participate in programs that they could not do before. There is the child care program and the dental program as well. Of course, there is also the employment insurance system, which Canadians, unfortunately, when they lose their jobs, have to depend on from time to time.
However, every time Conservatives could have supported these vulnerable Canadians, they voted against the measures our government was putting in place. It is hard to sit here from time to time and quietly listen to the comments that come from across the floor about their, what I will call, manufactured concern for Canadians in need, because every time they have the opportunity to support those programs, they vote against them, time and time again. I see it in my riding on a daily basis.
With this budget, Canada is confronting a fiscal challenge. A lot of it is being brought on by a world that has become extremely unstable. We have an unpredictable neighbour to the south and that is having negative consequences for some industries here north of the border. However, our government chose to invest long term rather than take a cut-and-slash approach, which is so common with the Conservative ideology. This is why I support this particular budget, and that is why I will continue to advocate for it in these areas.
I look at my province of P.E.I.—