Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am pleased to welcome the minister too. I am going to advise him, because time is always limited, that I will be raising two matters with him.
First of all, there are a number of things included in the Budget Implementation Act that have nothing to do with the budget. For example, pay equity is still there, and has been since November, even though he himself has said that it will not save the government a cent. Could he tell us what it is doing in a budget bill? The Supreme Court has already clearly said that, if such a thing were attempted, it would be rejected since it would not be in accordance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Taking away basic rights would be contested. So, if the object is not to save money, why is it here? The Navigable Waters Protection Act is also in the budget. Can the minister give us one specific and concrete case, not an anecdote, where the Navigable Waters Protection Act prevented anything? Why is it in a budget bill?
Let us move on to the tax provisions for tax havens. Several years ago, Sheila Fraser said that it was a mistake. The minister has already said that it was a mistake, but he is now making it possible to run off to tax havens again.
Let us start with the first part of my question.