Canadians should be aware that, to meet their fiscal plan, the Conservatives will have to increase personal income taxes from their current level for 2006.

Absolutely, it's affordable. I am not saying it's easy, but . . . it's extremely reasonable. It would be unreasonable to have a federal government growing at much more than that; we have to learn to live within budget.

That's not very interesting to the premiers . . . They are talking big, big bucks.

It adds up. But it's in the art of how it's done.

One of the key things here is. . .the road infrastructure to improve Canada-U.S. trade, that's one of the best things we can do to improve productivity.