International Trade committee  I also feel a lot of pressure, since I'm one of a couple of individuals selected not because I represent someone, but just because I wanted to come and speak to you as an individual. I also have a Ph.D. in ecological economics, so maybe I'm not just an ordinary middle-class Canadian. I'm associate faculty at Royal Roads University. I also prepared a written submission but didn't have time to get it to you to have it translated. You'll get that eventually.

Taxation  Speaker, I would invite my hon. colleague to read the budget in its entirety, because actually this budget is a budget for middle-class Canadians and Canadian families. We are the government that reduced the taxes for the middle class. Nine million Canadians are paying less tax as of January 1 because of this government.

Taxation  Speaker, we need to look at the budget as a whole, because we understand and we know that the budget focuses on the middle class, which is the key for small business. We know that middle-class Canadians are those who own and work in small businesses. They are also customers and clients. We know a strong, vibrant middle class is great for business, and our government is making very important investments, which will directly help small business.

Industry committee  I've made the statement time and again that it's important that we recognize that middle-class Canadians are small business owners and are the people who work for them. The commitment and investments we are making within the nation actually all help small businesses. We say they are the backbone of the economy, and this goes to prove that point.

The Budget  Voters saw that while the wealthiest 1% of society had seen their incomes more than double in the last 30 years, middle-class incomes had stagnated. Middle-class Canadians were doing all the right things—studying hard, working hard, and making a real contribution to the Canadian economy—but their hard work was not paying off in higher incomes. We in the Liberal Party said that was not fair.

Industry committee  SMEs account for about 40% of GDP. They are the backbone of our economy. When small businesses succeed, middle-class Canadians succeed, and that's what our economy needs. We are boosting funding to the industrial research assistance program, which helps SMEs access technical advice and research and development project financing.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, in the case I was referring to was just the average of the families. My colleague might be referring to who we consider middle class Canadians. The middle-class tax cut applies to the tax bracket between $45,000 and $90,000. In terms of just simple math, those are the people we would be referring to. Most of us, me included, rely on a paycheque.

Taxation  Speaker, once again, we have lowered taxes on small businesses; we have lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. We are working with Canadians to ensure that we have a strong economy and that we create jobs. Budget 2016, which I encourage the member to read in its entirety, makes many investments, including $11.9 billion in infrastructure spending, which will help small businesses, and $500 million for broadband in rural and remote areas.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, we know that the vast majority of middle-class Canadians pay their fair share of taxes, but that some wealthy individuals hide their money in offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes. On Monday, the government committed to doing more to fight tax evasion.

The Budget  In other words, this reform would have most penalized those seniors least able to adapt to these kinds of cuts. The Government of Canada has to support middle-class Canadians and Canadians who are working very hard to join the middle class. To do this, budget 2016 provides for total funding of $3.4 billion over two years for social infrastructure, that is, affordable housing, early learning and child care, cultural and recreational infrastructure, and community health care facilities on reserves.

The Budget  When we have a solid middle class working and contributing to our economy and communities, everyone benefits. We are putting money back into the pockets of middle-class Canadians. We are making it so that more parents can afford to put their kids in sports and arts through the middle-class tax cut and the Canada child benefit. With the Canada child benefit, families in Nova Scotia will receive $255 million more in child benefits between 2016 and 2018.

The Budget  The residents of Brampton consistently tell me they are appreciative and supportive of the investments our government is going to make that would help middle-class Canadians succeed. These are investments that would not just help them and their families today but lay the groundwork for the success of future generations of hard-working Canadians. My constituents elected me to serve as part of a government that would help the middle class and those who are working hard to join it.

The Budget  They would lose another $3,000 or more, if they think about income splitting, then maybe $200 more for CPP increases, and another maybe $100 for EI. That means that all of these middle-class Canadians will be paying about $3,500 or more in taxes, and that is before we put in the carbon tax. In fact, everyone under this budget will be paying more taxes. Has the member done the math?

Finance  It has long been understood that a strong economy starts with a strong middle class. When middle-class Canadians have more money to save, invest and grow the economy, everyone benefits. With budget 2016, our government seeks to help more Canadians, and restore Canadians' confidence in a brighter, more prosperous future.

The Budget  We now know that this is not the case as taxpayers will have to dish out an additional $8.9 billion over the next six years, and hard-working middle-class Canadians will ultimately have to shoulder this massive burden. The Liberals promised Canadians they would not run deficits of more than $10 billion a year, but now we see that they are borrowing almost $30 billion in 2016 and upwards of $120 billion over the next five years.