Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the hon. member clearly did not listen to the point I was making. With respect to his point about local control, it is very clear that there are certain responsibilities that are more effectively handled at some levels of government than others.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the member makes a great point that our party helps to strengthen our federation by respecting jurisdictions. We did not push agendas that were outside of federal jurisdiction. We sought to listen to and collaborate with people at other levels of government and respect their decision-making authority.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to discuss this important issue. We are talking about the expansion of the Billy Bishop airport in Toronto and the benefits that such an expansion would have for Toronto. We are talking today about Bombardier and the benefits that the airport expansion would have for Bombardier and more broadly the province of Quebec, but we are also talking about a fundamental principle, and that is the importance of stimulating the economy and how we do so.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member, as well as other members, has alluded to surprises in the budget. Frankly, we have had quite enough surprises from the government already. It is great to hear the anecdote about the member going to a restaurant and finding someone there who agrees with him.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, it certainly is always a pleasure to engage in dialogue with this member, an experienced debater and someone who has a good understanding of economics, although it has clearly led him to take a wrong turn at some point. With respect to his comments about intergenerational earnings elasticity, I appreciate his affirmation of the value of that as a metric.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to begin my remarks today with a point of refutation, because in listening to the debate we have heard some discussion around inequality in Canada, with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands using the phrase a “crisis in Canada with inequality”. We need to review the record with respect to inequality.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, when we became the government about 10 years ago, we cut taxes in a very specific way. We cut the GST from 7% to 6% and, eventually, to 5%. We also reduced the lowest marginal tax rate. It was important for us to do that because these tax reductions benefited all Canadians, but they focused the benefit particularly upon low-income Canadians.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, the member talked about how the new bill would add to the deficit, and the government seems to have no regard for the impact of that deficit on future generations who are going to work to pay off the spending we have today. I wonder if the member could comment specifically on the impact that the misguided fiscal approach of the current government is going to have on future generations.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I certainly share some of the member's concerns with respect to how this bill does not help those who actually need the help the most. I am sure he will applaud the Conservative record as a government in lowering the GST and lowering the lowest marginal tax rate that Canadians pay.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, later today, members of Parliament, the Pakistani community, and the Bhatti family will gather here to honour the life and legacy of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistani federal minister who was assassinated for his advocacy on behalf of Pakistan's minorities. Shahbaz was the inspiration for the Office of Religious Freedom, and the Bhatti family have been clear in their support for it.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, it is surprising to see so much misinformation coming out of the government. This $150-billion figure that they keep quoting is not accurate. In fact, the numbers are much lower in terms of debt that was added over the last 10 years. Projections are that the government will add more debt in the next four years than happened over the last 10 years, and that was coming through a financial crisis.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I share the member's principle objection to the bill in terms of the lack of genuine progress in the tax changes, but I do want to ask him about corporate taxes. The evidence shows that as business taxes have been reduced, corporate tax revenue has gone up, presumably because of the relative elasticity of business investment.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of problems with this legislation, the most glaring of which the the member highlighted in her remarks, that those who would benefit the most from the government's tax changes are those making over $90,000 a year, but that most of those who use tax-free savings accounts make less than $60,000 a year.

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, it is amazing. My colleague from Red Deer—Lacombe asked a very important and simple question, then we had a response that just completely ignored the question, as if it had never been asked. Maybe I will try again, as the member perhaps did not hear. Given that members of the House of Commons are elected through a secret ballot, given that elections occur at every level via secret ballot, does the member not believe it is sensible that working men and women who are considering certification of union have the same rights in that context as everyone else has?

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, it is evident when we have this discussion about these issues that the Liberals want to speak in broad strokes about harmony, about the value of organized labour. These are things that we agree with on this side of the House. We agree with the importance of harmony.