Tax Avoidance  Madam Speaker, again, I thank my colleague for his initiative. However, I would like to point out that it is this government that has made an historic investment to combat tax evasion. My colleague is talking about Barbados, but I might point out that the Minister of National Revenue was clear on the subject of tax evasion.

Tax Avoidance  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for raising this important issue. I have a lot of respect for him and especially for the issue he is raising in the House this evening. We knew that tax evasion was a problem long before the famous Panama papers. During the election campaign, the government promised to fight tax evasion.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, I want to remind my hon. colleague that we did reduce taxes for small businesses and we did reduce taxes for nine million Canadians. I would invite my hon. colleague to read the entire budget. He will see that this government is working for Canadians.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague to read the entire budget, because this is the government that reduced taxes on nine million Canadians. We did that in December. The taxes on small business have been reduced. This is a government that works for Canadians, Canadian families, and small business.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question and I invite him to read —

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague. Instead of fooling around, perhaps he should read the budget. If he had, he would know that we have lowered taxes for the middle class. The small business tax has dropped and, just today, the governor of the Bank of Canada said that the measures set out in the budget would create economic growth in Canada, as the hon.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question. Once again, I would invite him to read the budget. He would then understand that we are working for Canadians. The opposition has been trying to create a diversion. We presented Canadians with a budget that works for families, the middle class, and small businesses.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, I would like first to thank my hon. colleague for his interest in the budget, and also for his great work on the finance committee. In electing a new government, millions of Canadians signalled their desire for change. Our government was elected in part because we took that desire seriously.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, I would respectfully disagree with the hon. member. I heard his question, but this government was elected on October 19 in order to deliver for Canadian families and the middle class. People have been saying two things to us: help them and their families, and grow the economy.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. It is not true that we did not consult people. We consulted Canadians all over the country. I come from the Mauricie region, and I can assure this House that we consulted the people in Trois-Rivières. To say that we did not consult Quebeckers about the upcoming budget is folly.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Minister of Finance and I went from coast to coast to coast. We did something the Conservatives never did. We listened to Canadians. What Canadians have been telling us is to invest in the economy now and invest in growth. In just about an hour, that is exactly what we are going to present to Canadians.

Regional Economic Development  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question. As I said, the Minister of Finance and I went to every region in Canada, and we listened to Canadians from coast to coast to coast. I know that my hon. colleague is anxious to see what is in the budget being brought down later today.

Regional Economic Development  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question. However, he seems to be the only one who does not understand. Canadians understand that when interest rates are low, that is precisely the time to invest in the economy. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund, it is time to invest in the economy.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, let me be clear once again. We will take no advice from the Conservatives when it comes to deficits. Today is a great day. As the Minister of Finance and I went across the nation, we listened to Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians have asked us to invest in families, invest in Canadians, and invest in growth.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a clear choice last October. They decided to have a fundamentally different approach to managing our economy. Our priority is growth. That is exactly what we will deliver tomorrow in our budget. We will focus on the middle class, we will help Canadian families, we will create growth.