The Budget  That party voted against it and that party has, in the past, threatened to take it away from our seniors. One party and one party alone stands for middle-class Canadians and seniors, and that is this party. We are going to fight them every step of the way.

Taxation  Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance tabled our plan for jobs and growth. This is a great budget for middle-class Canadians. For example, the new family tax cut and enhanced universal child care benefit will benefit 100% of families with kids, the vast majority of benefits going to low- and middle-income families.

Taxation  The family tax cut and the improved universal child care benefit will put more money in the pockets of every family with children. We know that the Liberals and the NDP would increase taxes on the middle class. Canadians know that our government is the only one they can trust to lower taxes. Together, we look forward to learning about the measures for families that are included in the balanced budget that the Minister of Finance is presenting this afternoon.

Manufacturing Industry  Budgets are about making choices and Conservatives are once again putting their own self-interests ahead of middle-class Canadians. Conservatives are planning billions of dollars in handouts to the wealthiest, a $700 million tax loophole for CEOs, and yet they are telling ordinary Canadians that after years of painful cuts they are going to have to settle for less, less food safety, less rail safety, less money to stop oil spills and no money to help parents find affordable child care.

Taxation  Income splitting—a $2 billion tax break—will disproportionately benefit the wealthy, and now the Conservatives are now preparing to double the contribution limits for tax free savings accounts. The majority of middle-class Canadians cannot take advantage of this measure. They are already struggling to make ends meet. Why are the Conservatives not helping the middle class? Why do they want to bring in even more tax breaks for the wealthy?

Government Services  Now they want to impose additional cuts totalling $500 million. Why do Liberal and Conservative senators get treated one way, while middle-class Canadians get treated altogether differently?

Employment  The fact is that Liberal governments actually cut taxes and actually paid down the debt. The Conservative government has actually raised taxes on middle-class Canadian families and at the same has increased the debt. A lot of young Canadians are having trouble finding jobs. One NHL economic action plan ad run by the Conservatives would pay for 32 summer jobs for young Canadians.

Taxation  Wealthy Canadians can and in time, doubling the TFSA limit will give billions more to the wealthy. Why are the Conservatives making middle-class Canadians who are struggling pay for tax breaks for the rich?

The Budget  The Conservatives are still more focused on the well-connected than on the well-being of middle-class Canadians. If one is an insider or one of the wealthy few, tomorrow's budget will have billions in loopholes and handouts. However, if people are regular Canadians trying to make ends meet, they will get more cuts to services.

The Economy  Speaker, the Canadian economy has grown over the past year and all experts, including the Bank of Canada, anticipate it will grow over this year, notwithstanding the immediate impact of energy prices. As the leader of the Liberal Party really wants to put money into the pockets of middle-class Canadians, there is legislation before this Parliament that does that, that benefits every single middle-class, in fact every single Canadian, family in this country, but of course, the Liberal Party is wedded to tax hikes, wedded to deficits, and wedded to killing jobs.

Manufacturing Industry  Is the Prime Minister so disconnected from the economy that he no longer cares about struggling middle-class Canadians in the manufacturing sector?

Taxation  Speaker, it should come as no surprise that our Conservative government is the only one that stands up for middle-class Canadian families. Through our low-tax plan for families, our government is helping 100% of families with children to receive the benefits they need so that they can put their hard-earned money toward their own priorities.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, middle-class Canadians know that they are better off with this Conservative government. Median net worth of Canadian families has risen by a whopping 45% since we were elected. Thanks to the leadership of our Prime Minister, for the first time in Canadian history, middle-income earners are better off than Americans.

Taxation  Speaker, it should come as no surprise that our Conservative government is the only one that stands up for middle-class Canadian families. Through our low-tax plan for families, our government is helping 100% of families with children receive the benefits they need so they can put their hard-earned money toward their own priorities We have doubled the children's fitness tax credit, enhanced the universal child care benefit and now have implemented the family tax cut.

Business of Supply  Speaker, we know that income inequality in our country is spiralling out of control, that incomes in the top 1% have been surging for decades while the typical Canadian, the middle-class Canadian family, has seen income fall over the last 35 years. I want to talk about the minimum wage because it is a mechanism that is used to lift people out of poverty. We know that, in real terms, the average minimum wage in Canada has actually increased by only 1% over the last 40 years.