Madam Speaker, that is a great question, and I appreciate the opportunity to talk more about the affordability measures the government has put forward.
Obviously, we have cut back and have found optimization within the federal public service. We have reduced operational spending by $60 billion over five years, creating fiscal room both to make generational investments and to offer tax deductions and tax cuts, but we have also protected and, in fact, added federal benefits.
We added the groceries and essentials benefit, which went out last Friday to 12 million Canadian families. This is good news. I have heard anecdotally from residents of my riding that they have received upward of $500 in their bank accounts. That is going to help. It is short-term, temporary, targeted support, which is exactly what the Governor of the Bank of Canada said at committee is needed, in a time of crisis when we do not know how long the oil price shock is going to last.
We know that Canadian families are struggling. That is why we keep stepping up with affordability measures that will help them get through the challenging times, while we are building a stronger, more resilient economy, making the investments that are needed, attracting private investment and ensuring that we have growth for generations to come.