Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, and I too congratulate him on his re-election. I cannot explain why the Liberal government refuses to table a budget. It is not my decision. We voted in favour of the amendment put forward by the official opposition. To us, this is a matter of transparency, a matter of honesty.
We know that the Department of Finance was working on a budget in the spring, before the election. The then minister of finance told us that he was working on it. I should imagine that all that work did not disappear or fly away, that the papers did not blow away through an open window.
Fall is a little late to find out where we are headed. There are important decisions to be made for the Canadian economy, for taxation and for social justice in our country. If the Liberals really are rigorous and transparent, they will table a budget.