Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member could comment on a couple of things about this particular deal.
First, we only have a day to debate this. This is not specifically about the merits of free trade with the European Union. This is about a specific measure between the national government and its subnational government, being Newfoundland and Labrador.
I hearken back to October 2013. In the release that was put out by the provincial government, it states unequivocally:
The fund will be used to invest in research and development, new marketing initiatives, fisheries research, and enhancements....
That is the same line it used throughout the entire spread. From 2013 to 2014, there have been a few correspondences, but nothing was ever made public that pointed out it is wrong.
In other words, the provincial government never said it was only to be used in case of demonstrated losses. Did the federal government point that out to them at some point? Before 2014, in that full year, did it point out that it was wrong in the release? Why would the federal government not do that?