Mr. Speaker, the point I was making was that their achievement was to turn a $38 billion deficit into a $42 billion deficit some nine years later, whereas we turned a $42 billion deficit into a sizable surplus. I guess it has to do in part with the size of the objectives and goals one sets for the future.
Mr. Speaker, I neglected to mention that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Beauharnois--Salaberry.
I want to talk about two myths that have been propagated by the opposition and some provincial premiers about this budget and then I will summarize with a very brief statement on why it is a good budget.
The first myth is the idea that the budget has provided no stimulus to the Canadian economy at this time of global economic slowdown. Contrary to what has been said on the other side of the House, it does not much matter when the decision was made. What matters is how much support is provided to the economy this year and next year when we are in the midst of a world economic slowdown.
The fact of the matter is that because of wise decisions taken a year ago, Canadians have $17 billion extra in their pockets this year because of a tax cut, the largest among G-7 countries.
We have an extra $3 billion for health care this year because of the health accord a year or so ago.
In addition, because of infrastructure programs and a number of other initiatives in research, we have a total fiscal stimulus this year of $26 billion, which in American terms would be $260 billion since it is 10 times larger than Canada.
In fact this year and next year the government is providing substantially more support to the Canadian economy through lower taxes and investments in health care, research and innovation than the U.S. or other G-7 countries.
It is partly for those reasons that economists in the IMF and the OECD unanimously say that Canada will do better than the U.S. this year and next year in terms of both jobs and growth. Those are facts.
The second myth is related to the first, which is an idea propagated by provincial premiers, notably Ontario and Quebec, to the effect that when the bill for health care has to be paid the federal government goes to the washroom. The fact is that because of the health accord and other actions, over the last five years the federal government's share of health care expenditures in Ontario has been rising and its share of total Ontario program spending has increased from 22% of the total five years ago to 27% this year. In Quebec it is even higher. The share is 30%.
Why are the provincial governments saying different things? It is because they choose not to include our contributions in the form of tax points or tax rooms contributed some years ago. Those are just as much contributions as the cash. If they added up the sums correctly, using the a nice chart in the budget book, they would find a rising share of federal contributions to provincial coffers over the last five years.
If the behaviour of the Ontario government is reprehensible, the behaviour of the Parti Quebecois and their friends from the Bloc Quebecois is worse. Not only do they hide the real federal contribution, but after saying that they do not count tax points as part of the federal contribution, they then ask the federal government to give nothing but tax points to the Quebec government. This means that they want us to give more to the provincial government, but that this contribution will not be recognized at all.
Of course, from a separatist point of view, if you are a separatist, which I am not, it is a fantastic idea. More money coming from the federal government and no acknowledgement whatsoever of the role played by the federal government. It is therefore a separatist ploy. I can say that this government is not stupid enough to accept such a separatist idea.
The statement that this budget gives no stimulus is a myth. It is well over 2.5% of GDP. It is in the form of lower taxes which puts more money into people's pockets. It gives more money to health care and more money to the government's key priorities: the learning agenda, the environment and research and innovation. We are simultaneously providing economic stimulus to support the economy and investing in the key areas that matter most to Canadians, health, research and so on.
The budget provides support to the Canadian economy at a time when the Canadian economy needs it most. It also implements the government's long term vision. It does what is necessary with regard to safety and security, our number one priority, but it is not doing more than is necessary on that front. It also addresses a matter of absolute importance to the Canadian economy, that is to say, the Canada--U.S. border in terms of both its security and the free passage of goods and people which is absolutely crucial to the long term health of our economy.
On all those scores, this is a good budget that sustains the economy when it needs it most. It is consistent with the government's long term vision of where this country is heading. It does what is needed on security and safety and addresses the critical question of maintaining a border that is both secure and free flowing.