Finance committee  It's very difficult to know what is going on. The Parliamentary Budget Officer asked for documentation and failed to receive it. The public is asking and fails to receive good answers to many questions that are being posed of this government. That $10 billion shortfall, consisten

Finance committee  No, I didn't know about that.

Finance committee  I've been listening to this conversation and I am grateful to be part of it. I'm grateful to be part of these very respectful questions of small business and of the unemployed. I'm sitting here thinking that this piece of legislation needs to be split apart between fiscal measure

Finance committee  No, that's fine.

Finance committee  I think it is a help to those companies that were close to making that hiring decision anyway. I don't think that is enough money to make somebody turn around and say, “I think I'll hire that person.”

Finance committee  No, I don't think it should be more money, sir—

Finance committee  —but thank you for filling in the rest of my sentence.

Finance committee  Closing tax loopholes is absolutely something that should be done. I would add to that that you should not keep opening up new tax loopholes at the same time.

Finance committee  I would actually agree with the CFIB that having a seven-year timeline, and knowing where those premiums are going to go and why they're going to go there, is an absolutely appropriate way of doing things.

Finance committee  I think lifetime capital gains exemption increases are lovely if you've already dealt with the problem of growing inequality, which you haven't.

Finance committee  So I think it's like frosting on the cake if you've already solved the problem of income inequality, which is getting worse every year. And measures that are being proposed by this government for when we are in budget balance, which are income splitting and doubling contributions

Finance committee  Well, they widen income inequality. If you don't see that as a negative thing, then.... We're not talking about positive/negative, we're just talking the facts.

Finance committee  Say that again, please.

Finance committee  Absolutely. I think you're completely correct to say that any pre-budget consultation should be open to discuss anything that the people of Canada want to see in the next federal budget, and that is appropriate. But when you put out a 308-page document with over 420 clauses,

Finance committee  You're not going to amend individual—