Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, one of the things I have noticed about Albertan Conservative MPs is that they sure know how to talk, but when it comes to walking the talk, we find them coming up short all the time. The Harper government, the Conservative government, built not one inch of pipeline to tidewaters.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, for a number of years now I have unfortunately been in the chamber and have listened to many of the personal attacks the member across the way often gets into. I find that at times he is somewhat extreme in his comments, and I think that is most unfortunate. I believe that many of the accusations are outright wrong, on many different fronts, and I only wish I had the time to address each and every point the member consistently hits.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, the member spent a vast majority of his time commenting on deficits, so my question is with respect to deficits. I have said many times in the House that we provided Stephen Harper and his government with a multi-billion dollar budget surplus. Virtually every year since he took office, he had a running deficit.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I do believe that, in good part, the member has missed the mark if we take a look at something very tangible that the Government of Canada has done with the money and with taxpayers. We believe it is a reflection of what Canadians want, and this demonstrates the degree to which the Conservative Party is really out of touch with what Canadians expect of their government.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I will pick up on the member's last point. I know a number of New Democrats have mentioned the whole idea of infrastructure and how it is ultimately paid for. Four or five years ago, the NDP government in Manitoba dealt with it by bringing forward legislation supporting P3s, which included private sector and government-sponsored infrastructure projects.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I attribute Manitoba's success in good part to when then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien developed the provincial nominee program in 1998 or 1999, which has been hugely successful. We have seen that this government is one that believes in consultations and working with the different stakeholders, including provinces like Manitoba or communities like Saint Boniface, Manitoba.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, sadly there is a finite amount of resources. I posed this question to the member when he gave his speech. At the end of the day, when we look at the budget, what we have seen over the last nine or 10 months is a government that understands the way we can best help people and the economy as a whole.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question, but I would say to the member that we have a Prime Minister who truly cares in terms of what is happening with our youth. It is one of the reasons we have the Prime Minister's council on youth. It is why members of Parliament will see that there are councils being established virtually in all of the different regions.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, the member asked that question because immigration is such an important issue, not just for me personally but also for the constituents I represent, and many other Canadians. One of the things I take a great pride in is the fact that we have a Minister of Immigration who got the job done with regard to the refugee crisis.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, that question demonstrates very clearly why the Conservatives are so out of touch with what Canadians really want and expect of their government. Both of the examples that the member referenced were not just something that the national government had to put into place.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Therefore, we have provinces from all regions of the country, with different parties providing governments, and all of them are saying that on both accounts we need to move forward. Not only are we thinking about today, we are thinking about tomorrow's generation. This is something that a good strong government does.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I was thinking of taking those very same papers and putting on them a piece of tape that said, “Promise kept.” Unfortunately, I will not be able to do that because it would be a prop and adding to what the member has cited. What a privilege it is to stand in the chamber and talk about yet another very important piece of legislation that the government has tabled.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I take exception to a number of things the member has said. I have often talked about a number of concerns. Conservative members give the impression that when they lost governance a number of months ago, there was an actual financial surplus. They are not going to fool Canadians.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, my question is with regard to the whole issue of consultation. I met an interesting individual, Kourosh Doustshenas, who had raised an issue with me. I want to ask the member what he thinks of consultation and the importance thereof. For example, this individual talked about the homebuyers' plan and how it has helped close to three million people since 1992.