Parliamentary Budget Officer  Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The NDP agrees that the cost of private members' bills should be calculated, but the government is tying the Parliamentary Budget Officer's hands. It has slashed his budget and is refusing to provide his office with the resources he needs to do his job.

Parliamentary Budget Officer  Mr. Speaker, we have already said that the NDP supports the costing of private members' bills. However, it is obvious that the Conservatives are attacking the Parliamentary Budget Officer for telling the truth about the Conservatives' poor fiscal management. Suddenly, they are saying they support his mandate.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very relevant question. I feel as though we are in Groundhog Day today. This situation reminds us of what we went through before 2008, when the federal government was hiding and denying that we were about to enter an economic recession.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer this question because what she said is true. It is not just the NDP that has said so. Most serious Canadian economists have shown that if stimulus and economic recovery were the goal, lowering the GST was probably one of the least effective ways of achieving it.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to mention that I will share my time with my colleague from York South—Weston. You will no doubt be happy to know that I will not be reading from a newspaper today, so I should not have any problems with this speech. I know that this debate has to do with the economy and job creation.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his speech and ask him a question. I am aware of the work that he did previously as the president of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. One of my biggest concerns about Bill C-10 is the fact that we do not know how much it will cost the provinces.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her question. There is absolutely no proof of this, be it from criminologists, sociologists, academics or anyone else who is concerned with this topic. There is not a single study, Canadian or American, that demonstrates the validity of the approach this government is currently favouring.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. I do see this as a step in that direction. I do not think we need to look any further than the statements made this morning by the Minister of Public Safety, who was making comparisons and defending some of the provisions in the bill based on what has been done in the United States.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the hon. member asked me this question, since this is an issue in which I was very involved during the years I spent at youth centres. In order to help victims overcome the effects of a crime, it is important to show them that there is justice in their case.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her very relevant question. The Canadian Paediatric Society report, for one, is very clear on this subject. Prevention is absolutely crucial when it comes to dealing with crime and youth crime, and crime which has an impact on youth.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, we have an initial indication of what this could cost—there is talk of $2.7 billion over five years. And that is likely a very conservative estimate if we look at other estimates we have been given, such as the one for another crime bill, which went from $90 million to $5 billion.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  My apologies, Mr. Speaker. I was reading from the article but I understand the point. I will restart. The article states: Determined to pander to his political supporters, [the] Prime Minster tabled an omnibus crime bill Tuesday that is both unnecessary and foolish....The bill is foolish because it comes with a huge price.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  I am getting used to it, Mr. Speaker. I will continue: The bill is foolish because it comes with a huge price. Prior to the last election, the...government said it wanted to spend $2 billion to expand and build new federal penitentiaries...[the] crime bill seeks to crack down on young offenders, drug dealers, sexual predators and Canadians in foreign prisons is under fire from critics, who rightly argue it's a waste of time and money since crime rates are declining in the country.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, Bill C-10 perfectly illustrates the government's indifference: indifference to the facts, indifference to the evidence and indifference to a government's obligation to govern effectively. The facts are clear. So far, a number of members have reported them and members will continue to do so throughout the debate.

Karel Mayrand  Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with everyone my pride in the remarkable citizen engagement of Mr. Karel Mayrand, who is originally from Rimouski. Mr. Mayrand is the David Suzuki Foundation's director general for Quebec and was recruited by former vice-president of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore to be a presenter for his Climate Reality Project.