Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Calgary Nose Hill for her speech. She is obviously a passionate person standing up for her riding. I would like to let all members of the House know that we all are feeling the pain Alberta is going through. On a personal note, I have a brother who resides in the city of Calgary.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out for the record that all governments tax and spend. I have always hated that term because it is the whole purpose of government. We take resources, pool them, and we spend them for the greater good. We have figures from the Parliamentary Budget Officer with respect to the tax-free savings accounts that the increase in TFSA contribution limits would have put a glaring hole in future governments' revenues.

CBC/Radio-Canada  Mr. Speaker, that is not an answer. A promise isn't something you can just say to get yourself elected. Canadians expect the current Liberal government to keep its promises. Page 56 of the Liberal platform promises to “reverse [the previous Conservative prime minister's] cuts and invest $150 million in new annual funding”.

Income Tax Act  Madam Speaker, I do know a little about doctors, being the son of one. I know, from speaking to my father and many of his colleagues, that they do earn quite a bit of money and have an important skill set, but every single of one of them I spoke to would be happy to pay a little more in taxes if they knew that we had a progressive taxation system that would help the most vulnerable.

Income Tax Act  Madam Speaker, the member and I heard that on the doorstep from families looking for child care spots. This tax break does nothing for them. For a family earning in the neighbourhood of $75,000 a year, that is a combined income. That means there are two individuals earning $35,000 to $38,000.

Income Tax Act  Madam Speaker, of course we in the progressive opposition will always stand and and agree with conclusive measures to help those who are most vulnerable, whether it is children, the elderly, or poverty overall. However, we are debating Bill C-2 today. That is why I am not talking about future plans in the budget.

Income Tax Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley. He has done an amazing job in the House since 2004 on behalf of his constituents, and I will certainly do my best to follow such an amazing performance. It is an honour to rise again in the House to speak on behalf of my wonderful constituents in Cowichan—Malahat—Langford and to take part in the debate on Bill C-2, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act.

Income Tax Act  Yes, it sounds pretty rosy. Before I get to the crux of the matter with the tax changes, I want to speak first about the tax-free savings account because this is on something that the NDP can agree on with the Liberal Party. When the Conservatives were in power, we heard time and again that the TFSA was an excellent tool for helping seniors.

Income Tax Act  Madam Speaker, I was glad to hear the member talk about the less advantaged folks in Canadian society who would not get anything from the bill. I am glad to see he will join me in recognizing that Liberal MPs are basically giving themselves the maximum tax benefit. One of the duties of the opposition is to also offer proposals.

Income Tax Act  Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague is defending the Conservative viewpoint quite well. He has made some interesting comments about what the Liberals and the NDP think about hard work. I will bring the tone of debate up a bit. Would my colleague support our notion to reward hard work by supporting an increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour?

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I know the member is defending the Conservative viewpoint quite well, but I want to make the House aware of a few things. First, the definition of “median” is the number separating the higher half of a data sample from the lower half. Currently, the median income in Canada is about $31,000, so if we are truly talking about the middle class, $31,000 a year is the number we should really be talking about.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, we have strayed a bit from the text of the motion and covered a few different areas. I would like to comment on two of the items that the member mentioned. First, he was going on and on about the health benefits of our oil infrastructure, and I certainly agree that the technological advances of the oil industry have certainly made some amazing things happen, but I would like him to comment on the incredible costs our society is now burdened with.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, looking at the costs of every program is important. It is important that we as parliamentarians do our due diligence in holding the government to account. However, I do not think that is the end-all in our pursuit of reconciliation with Canada's indigenous peoples.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to offer a bit of a correction on the hon. member's comments. The previous Liberal government had a majority running from 1993 to about 2004. I am not sure exactly why you did not get the job done during that time, and instead blame it on a minority Parliament.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, before I begin, I wish to notify you that I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for North Island—Powell River. Although this is not the first time I have spoken in this honourable House, it is my first official speech as I take my turn in participating in the debate on the reply to the Speech from the Throne.