Mr. Martin cited health care as being at the top of the list of priorities for Canadians in every region of the country. With regard to reducing taxes, Mr. Martin said the government will build in a measured and responsible way on the tax relief provided in previous budgets. Consistent with past updates, the Minister did not provide a revised estimate of the government's fiscal balance for this year or next. That, quite simply, is the very worst thing we could do. Safeguarding our financial health at home is the sine qua non of riding out the global storm we are now in.
Turbulence abroad mandates vigilance at home.
Make no mistake. We will do what we can. But we will only do what we can afford. Mr. Martin added that the House of Commons Finance Committee will be a very important forum for the debate that is now underway. The bulk of the remainder was due to the effect of economic growth on revenues.