Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the hon. member calls for deregulation and cutting taxes as the way to stimulate business that helps stimulate the economy. We had 10 years of that, and our reward for it was jobs being exported, profits being exported, and over $600 billion in dead money sitting in corporate treasuries that has not been invested because there has not been the confidence in the Canadian economy.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member on his first speech. Prairie people are the best. I grew up in Edmonton and spent many years in western Manitoba, in Brandon, the farming country, and I have a great deal of respect for the folks who go out and work the land. I am also concerned, though, because I personally have feelings about the sovereignty of our food supply, its quality, and its security.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question because it is pertinent. One of the things that distinguished our plan was the fact that there were a number of interlocking pieces to it. In the discussions I had on those doorsteps, where the family itself was perhaps not making up to the threshold of around $45,000 where a tax cut would kick in, more often than not there were children present and those are the people who would benefit very specifically.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member very much for the question because that has come up as an issue many times. A national transit strategy relies in some respects on a homogenous environment across the country. I know from my personal experience and from talking to my then-colleagues in transit authorities across the country that conditions change from province to province.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to be sharing my time with the hon. member for Beaches—East York. I hope that I can take a moment to enjoy this moment because it is truly unique. Many of us, 200-plus, are enjoying what I am enjoying right now. I would like to also relay my thanks to the good people of Fleetwood—Port Kells who, with their support, have made this moment for me possible and I hope to serve them with honour.