Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned les bénévoles, the volunteers, and it was inconceivable to m
e that a government with all of the money that the member just outlined, the huge surp
lus, could actually even consider cutting so many programs for the most vulnerable in our society, and particularly volunteers, especially when the finance minister knows, and maybe one of the few members of his caucus who is aware, that the volunteers provide a huge economic
...[+++] boost to Canada by providing so much free service and getting so many things done that would cost government so much more.
Monsieur le Président, la députée a fait allusion aux bénévoles. À mon avis, il est inconcevable qu'un gouvernement qui a tant d'argent, qui a un excédent énorme, comme vient de le mentionner ma collègue, ait même pu envisager d'éliminer autant de programmes s'adressant aux membres les plus vulnérables de notre société, et en particulier aux bénévoles.