Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.
The Minister of Finance is reported as having said that he gave an advance briefing on the budget to American treasury secretary, Paul O'Neill. The Globe and Mail even said that he got a thumbs up from Mr. O'Neill.
What I would like to know is since when does the Canadian government seek pre-approval on its budget from a foreign government and why is the Minister of Finance taking his marching orders from Washington instead of the Canadian people?