Pensions  Mr. Speaker, middle-class Canadians are working harder than ever, and yet many of them are worried that they have not saved enough for their retirement. Can the minister responsible explain what he intends to do to deal with this situation?

Income Tax Act  The Government of Canada took an important step to enhance seniors' income security in budget 2016, its very first budget. Middle-class Canadians are working harder than ever. However, many of them are worried that they have not saved enough for their retirement. In fact, one in four families approaching retirement age, or 1.1 million families, might not be saving enough.

Finance committee  Rather, the changes in Bill C-26 are instead designed to target a relatively small group of middle-class to upper-middle-class Canadians who are not meeting an arbitrary threshold set by the government as to what an adequate amount of retirement savings should be. Most importantly, in calculating this, the threshold does not consider, for example, non-RRSP investments, nor things such as equity in people's homes.

Business of Supply  I appreciate the motion that has been put forward by the member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola and the ensuing discussion that we are having today on internal trade. It reflects the concern that we all share for middle-class Canadians. We agree that middle-class Canadians need to work in an environment where good internal trade is important for growth of the economy and growth of their careers. My concern is the approach that this motion is suggesting, but also what is being excluded from this motion.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  These three formal consultations allowed me, as well as members of our community, to meet in partnership with municipal governments, social service providers, business groups, and educational institutions to discuss in an open forum how to strengthen the partnerships between these groups and the federal government while meeting the needs of hundreds of residents in my riding, middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join the middle class. What I have been hearing from the people of Niagara Centre is how budget 2016 helps them. In my riding we have created a seniors council, a group of passionate individuals within our seniors community who meet with me and my staff throughout the year to discuss how governments and service providers can help seniors live healthy, independent, full lives.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Directly or indirectly, it is going to create high-paying jobs. Who will benefit most? It is middle-class Canadians. My friend mentioned child care. I remember sitting in this House when a Liberal government brought in universal child care across Canada. Ken Dryden was the minister. Who was the party that brought the government down?

Finance committee  When I was growing up, I worked at McDonald's, Tim Hortons, and Zellers, so I understand that the local businesses need to be supported. Our government is supporting them through tax cuts to middle-class Canadians and an increase in the Canada child benefit. We also need to make sure that workers today and tomorrow are taken care of and that they have a secure and dignified retirement.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Speaker, the Liberals have been asked this question again and again. If they wanted to help middle-class Canadians, why did they choose income tax changes to help wealthy Canadians? More than half the people in the member's riding make less than $45,000, so they are not going to benefit at all from this so-called middle-class tax benefit.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Our government is more focused on investing in people and in helping to grow the middle class. We know that middle-class Canadians are working harder than ever, but they are not getting ahead. We know that there is a growing consensus globally that governments need to invest in the economy, and that this investment has to be on a long-term basis and not short term.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  This policy would not only help our economy at a time of desperate need; it would also help the very middle-class Canadians who have become the Liberal government's second favourite talking point right behind debt—sorry, I mean investing. That is one idea that I would propose the Liberal government could do in the budget implementation bill to help.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Those are the kind of people we are investing in. The hon. member said this government has lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. This government increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is something we have not seen done before. That is investing in Canadian families. That is investing in middle-class families.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  The member very well knows that I do believe in reaching consensus and that we can all work better in this place. We can work better for Canadians, for middle-class Canadians, who are the very people who elected us to do the good work that we do. I recognize that members of Parliament are here to represent their constituents and I also recognize that Canadians expect this government to advance the legislation that they have mandated us to advance.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  It will return to this chamber where we will get to continue the debate, the dialogue, and the discussion so that we can represent our constituents and Canadians across this nation. Our plan for middle-class Canadians and Canadian families in the hon. member's constituency, in my constituency, and across this nation and our plan for infrastructure are about delivering for Canada. They are about delivering for their families.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  One promise was that their tax increase on the wealthiest Canadians would pay for the tax cut for middle-class Canadians. It turned out that this is not the case. It is off by about $1 billion. They promised a tax cut for the middle class, and when they brought in that budgetary measure, it turned out that almost 50% of Canadians actually experienced no benefit from that tax cut whatsoever.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  First and foremost, we believe that every Canadian deserves a secure and dignified retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Today middle-class Canadians are working harder than ever, but many are worried that they will not put away enough money for retirement. I think about my three kids, who are in their early twenties. They are all in school.