Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is great to rise to speak to this opposition day. It is great to rise because we know the economy of Canada is strong. We know the economy is growing. We know that benefits all middle-class workers and those Canadians who are working very hard and diligently to join the middle-class.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague and friend from Alberta, who I have the pleasure of sitting on the finance committee with and who I have also worked with extensively over the last few months in the Kurdish friendship group. I wish to speak to the amendment as well as provide some thoughts on this bereavement leave.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Louis-Hébert for his intervention and speech. Through Bill C-86, we are making ongoing investments in the economy, in middle-class Canadians and in those working hard to join them. As well, the investments in our recent 2018 fall economic statement will help businesses and individuals in his wonderful riding of Louis-Hébert.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for that very important question, because ensuring equal pay for equal work is a human rights issue, and our government is addressing it. We are not only addressing it with pay equity legislation contained in the BIA, but we are also addressing it using gender-based analysis when we do our budget.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for his thoughts. He and I actually co-chair the Canada-Holy See Parliamentary Friendship Group. The big message from Pope Francis in a number of his speeches and homilies is for social justice. With that, social justice is helping the poor and helping refugees, helping those less fortunate.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, it is great to be here this morning to speak at the report stage of Bill C-86. We heard the news this morning with respect to General Motors, and the workers and their families are in our thoughts. Our government will do everything we can to support them during this period.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, frankly, looking at the future of my kids, my two daughters who are at home right now, their future looks great. It looks great not only because of our government's action, but because they are blessed to live in this country called Canada. We will find out measures in the fall economic update on Wednesday.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the previous government, frankly, refused to admit that there was an actual global financial recession going on and had to run very quickly to undertake a number of measures to combat it. As I said, the Conservatives inherited a surplus from a Liberal government, which is not surprising.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, first, our government supports Alberta's energy workers and energy workers across Canada. We will do what we need to do to strengthen that industry. We have a very large discount on our resources currently in Canada, and we need to reduce that discount. We need to make sure that we are getting the full price for our oil.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, stay tuned for Wednesday, November 21, for the fall economic statement. Our government's fiscal position, and the importance of having a strong fiscal position, cannot be re-emphasized. A declining debt-to-GDP ratio, which we have emphasized, is something we need to look at, as well as balance that with key investments in our economy and in certain sectors.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, I was looking at the fiscal reference tables produced by the Department of Finance, and I also read over the OECD reports looking at Canada's fiscal position versus those of our peers. I will say that thanks to sound fiscal management a few years ago under the Martin-Chrétien government, we reduced our deficits, brought in surpluses and reduced taxes.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it appears that the hon. member for Carleton is as excited as we are to read the fall economic statement. He will get the chance to do so, just as all Canadians will, on November 21. As the member knows very well, the fall economic statement is under wraps until then, which begs the question as to why we are here today talking about something that we are not allowed to talk about.

Credit Unions  Mr. Speaker, whether it is providing a loan for a first home or the funds to start a new business, credit unions are there for the millions of Canadians they serve. They are the backbone of many Canadian urban and rural communities, helping local economies grow and thrive. In my community, we are fortunate to have IC Savings serving the needs of thousands of hard-working, middle-class Canadians, playing a vital role in helping us ensure we all achieve financial well-being.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, this summer when I was knocking on doors in my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge, I talked with residents about the issues they were concerned about. For most of them, they were concerned about the economy, the cost of raising their kids and about saving for their retirement.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018 No. 2  Madam Speaker, the member is correct. I grew up in the riding of Skeena—Bulkley Valley, which was once held by the Liberal Party of Canada. Hopefully it again will be held by the Liberal Party of Canada. I worked in a cannery growing up and cleaned all of the different types of salmon, including Chinook, sockeye and so forth.