Taxation  He confirmed that he will increase taxes for families that earn less than $60,000 a year and use tax-free savings accounts to put money aside. Middle-class Canadian families know that they can count on our Prime Minister and our Conservative government to keep their taxes low and protect the benefits they already receive.

Financial Statement of the Minister of Finance  I have travelled far and wide across this country and had an awful lot of conversations with middle-class Canadians who are struggling with debt at the end of the year every year and certainly do not have $10,000 to put aside every year to benefit from it, whereas wealthy Canadians absolutely will.

Financial Statement of the Minister of Finance  The Conservatives said, “If only 11% maxed out, let us almost double it to $10,000”. I do not know about anyone else, but when I think of working-class, middle-class Canadians, some of those at the lower end of the economic scale, most of them do not face the predicament that at the end of the year they have $10,000 extra sitting in their pockets that they simply do not know what to do with.

Taxation  I know why the Liberal Party and the NDP oppose these tax reductions. It is because they want to hike taxes on hard-working, middle-class Canadians because they need that money to give to bureaucracy to fund their priorities. Hard-working, middle-class Canadians want more of their own money in their own pockets.

Business of Supply  Speaker, today I will speak about the Canadian economy and the challenges faced by middle-class Canadian families. Conservative government mismanagement and also its lack of vision for the Canadian economy and its future has dashed the hopes of middle-class Canadian families. I would like to take a moment to reflect on the reality of Conservative management of the economy.

Business of Supply  They cannot afford to buy a house or a condominium so they move back with their parents and work at part-time jobs. Most discouraging of all, for the first time ever, over 50% of middle-class Canadians fear that their children will not do as well as they did. All of this has happened under the Prime Minister's watch. The Conservatives are oblivious to these realities, but middle-class Canadians live them everyday.

Opposition Motion—Job Creation  We have certainly seen that in the auto sector. We have also allowed middle-class Canadians to be attacked by gouging, whether it is at the pumps or through fees charged for credit cards, banking, or cellphones. These are a whole series of important things that are necessary to function in a modern society that have been put on the backs of consumers and families alike.

Opposition Motion—Job Creation  In that respect, those two parties are united. The Liberal Party, alone, is fighting for middle-class Canadians. For that reason, we are very happy to oppose this ridiculous NDP motion.

Unemployment Rate  Not only would these tax hikes kill jobs, but they would also increase the cost of living for middle-class Canadians, which is counter to what the member is proposing. If the opposition member is really serious about creating jobs, the opposition should start by supporting economic action plan 2015.

Taxation  We want Canadians to know about the new family tax cut and the enhanced universal child care benefit, which will benefit 100% of families with kids, the vast majority of the benefits going to young and middle-income families. We know the Liberals and NDP would raise taxes on the middle class. Canadians know that it is only our government they can trust to lower taxes.

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1  Could the member indicate what their position is on that tax-free monthly cheque that would be provided to middle-class Canadians to support them and their children? I am looking for clarification. The New Democrats are looking at saying yes to the Conservatives' plan. Would they consider saying yes to the Liberals' plan which is more generous?

Taxation  Speaker, average Canadians need a break, all of them, including single people and single parent families. Our fairness plan will substantially reduce income taxes for middle-class Canadians, including singles. Our child benefit plan is more generous and simplified and is tax free. Unlike the Conservatives' income splitting, it is not aimed only at a small percentage of families that are so rich they can get by on one paycheque.

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1  They are not the priorities of Canadians. It is important to recognize that under the the current government, middle-class Canadians have had to work longer and harder just to make ends meet. That is not right. We are months away from an election and the budget debate provides us the opportunity to show some contrast.

Consumer Protection  Unlike the Liberals and the NDP, who would raise taxes on middle-class consumers, our government has reduced taxes for middle-class Canadians. Our government has taken action to improve low-cost bank accounts and expand no-cost bank options for more than seven million Canadians. We introduced the debit and credit card code of conduct.

The Economy  New government numbers show that top earners keep getting wealthier, while working and middle-class Canadians fall further behind. The Conservative's income-splitting scheme will only make matters worse, yet the minister seems confused about his own plan. Yesterday at committee he claimed that the scheme would not kick in until next year, but his own budget documents show that he blew $2.4 billion on income splitting this year while actually running a $2 billion dollar deficit.