Mr. Speaker, thank you for that intervention.
Clearly what we have seen with the government is that throughout its time in office, whether in opposition or in minority or majority government, its focus has been on the oil and gas sector. Conservatives have put all of their energy, as it were, into the energy sector and have ignored other sectors of the economy. Now the chickens have come home to roost because of the dramatic drop in oil and gas prices throughout the country. It has affected the nation's finances significantly and left our country vulnerable to the kind of price shocks that we are experiencing today. If there were ever a rationale to diversify our economy, it is what we are experiencing today with energy prices.
Clearly the government has been left scrambling. It counted its chickens before they were hatched, and now the people of Canada deserve a fair accounting of the exact state of our nation's finances. We need to hear the government's plan for dealing with this rapidly changing economy. What the Conservatives have promised is an income-splitting scheme that would do absolutely nothing for 85% of the population, but would spend billions of dollars that the government in fact may now not have.
We are seeing many Canadians being affected by job losses. We heard today that as a result of a recent takeover, Tim Hortons will be laying off many jobs in its office sector. Whether it is Target in the retail sector, or Electro-Motive, Heinz, or John Deere, many industrial jobs have been lost throughout this country, and we need to know what the government's plan is to secure a middle-class lifestyle for working Canadians so that we know and they know that they can count on a secure income and can make their financial plans. We are expecting Canadians to do their budgets and to plan their economic situation, but the Government of Canada is not telling Canadians what its plans are for the economy.
We have seen manufacturing drop dramatically in the province of Ontario from about 20% of jobs to less than 15%. The jobs that are being lost are well-paying jobs with benefits that allow people to live a decent lifestyle. The NDP wants to support the manufacturing sector and help with the creation of good manufacturing jobs, and our leader laid out a plan for that today. We also want to see the lowest-paid workers lifted out of poverty with a $15 minimum wage. That is a commitment that will help some of the lowest-paid Canadians raise their income level.
We also want to boost the security that all Canadians have by offering a national child care program that would cost Canadians no more than $15 a day. In my own community, we see families paying up to $2,000 per child per month for child care. It is like having a second mortgage in a housing market that is already very steep for families. What the NDP is offering is more security for families across Canada through a national child care program.
As the official opposition, we are proposing what we would like to see, but our main job is holding the government to account, and boy, does it ever need holding to account these days. Conservatives are failing Canadians. They are refusing to even tell Canadians what the state of the economy is and what their plans are for the future. Clearly they are confused. They are caught off guard, and if they need help, the opposition is here. We are willing to work together.
Let me quote a couple of outside, impartial analysts on this question. Those socialists at the TD Bank state in their report:
The conclusion is unambiguous. In the absence of new measures to raise revenue or cut spending, TD is projecting budget deficits in fiscal 2015-16 and 2016-17 as opposed to the surpluses expected at the time of the [fiscal] update.
The OECD's deputy chief economist stated:
The stunning decline in world oil prices, from an average of $94 last year to $56 in 2015, has virtually wiped out the federal government’s anticipated surplus in its next budget....
Therefore, what is the state of the economy? What are the finances of the country like? We need to know and deserve to know. Canadians deserve to know, and they deserve to have a budget sooner rather than later so that they know how the government is going to pay for its very expensive, very elitist promises, such as income splitting for the wealthiest 15% of Canadians.
New Democrats want to know the state of our finances because we are committed to providing child care and support for small business. Also, unlike the Liberals, who according to their leader think that Ontario should move away from the manufacturing sector, we believe in a strong and advanced manufacturing sector. We believe in an economy based on energy efficiency, sustainability, and the best science and technology that this country can offer, because we know that when we work together, we can be globally competitive and we can do better than the best. However, we cannot do it with the government hiding in the past and refusing to reveal the state of the country's finances.
We look forward to the government stepping up to the plate and coming clean with Canadians. Let us work together on behalf of Canada for the good of Canadians.
