Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to get the member's comments on some of the larger economic issues in front of us. The Conservatives are claiming that this country is doing well with its banks. The record through the 1990s shows that the NDP stood up vociferously against deregulation of the banks.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Order, please. The hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, regarding the first part of the hon. member's question regarding the banks, he has got to look at it the other way. There was only one person who decided to maintain regulation in the banking sector, making sure there would not be any mergers and making sure Canada's financial system would be strong, and that person's name is Paul Martin, and the prime minister at the time was Jean Chrétien.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Thirteen strong years.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Thirteen strong years. Mr. Speaker, because of the interruption, I forget what the second part of this question was, so I would like to defer that to a later date.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the hon. member's speech. I think he forgets the circumstances in which we found ourselves in 2008 and the meltdown. The result of that was that the organizations of states got together, recognizing the drastic condition we were in, to implement some measures.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for asking me the question, but I cannot believe that this question is actually being asked. It is fine that it has been asked during question period. The example of using any other country in the G7, no matter what other country has also fallen in recession, is the same example as a house on a street that has been totally renovated, with fire proofing, hurricane proofing and so on, and all of a sudden all the houses on the street are burnt down including the one that has been fire proofed and hurricane proofed because the person who did the job or the person who was living in the house forgot to close the door or forgot to do something like closing the shutters.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to go back to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. To my community and communities in the Northwest Territories, this is an issue that has stood out in this budget as being one that—

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I question whether the member is really asking a question or making a comment pertaining to this bill. There is an issue of relevance as it relates to the topic here today.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  I am going to allow the member for Western Arctic to continue. This is a large bill with a lot in it. I hope and expect that before he gets to the question, the hon. member will make it relevant to Bill C-9.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, this particular subject, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, is one where we are seeing the start of many cuts that will be made by the government. This year's budget is one that does not really have a future to it. It is a budget that is holding the status quo on a number of areas.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, this place had an emergency debate that went until midnight the other night on the very subject. It really goes to the point that I made earlier about the success of a country. It is really not an economic measure. It is a measure of the health and well-being of its people and its first nations people in particular.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to speak to the budget bill today. When we talk about the budget, we have to talk numbers. Here are some numbers and some facts. In September 2008, the Minister of Finance said that the country had not dipped into a deficit and that we were still running a surplus and would run one that year.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, my comments have more to do with his leader's apparent flip-flop on corporate taxes. He may or may not agree with what his leader did, but certainly in the year 2000 the then finance minister, Paul Martin, cut corporate taxes by a considerable amount. The cuts have been continued under the present government, to the point where we will be 12 points lower than the Americans, at around 15% by 2012.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I do not think anybody is against corporate taxes. I think the member is talking about whether they are increased or decreased. In the 16 years I have been here, finance minister Paul Martin, and even the current member who was a finance minister as well. always talked about taxes in the context of whether tax cuts were affordable.