Yes, thank you.
Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm also quite disappointed to see that we are studying the entire environmental issue in only one part of a budget implementation bill. I'm not a litigant like my neighbour, I'm not a lawyer, but I feel that preventing all possible discussion on the importance we have increasingly been attaching to the environment for a number of years now is an abuse of democracy. We are being denied the right to discuss this.
There is a Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development, on which some of our colleagues sit on a permanent basis. They have thus become specialists on all these issues. Our finance committee is examining a budget implementation bill. That doesn't prevent us from having opinions about the environment, as you heard today. You are representatives of the corporation who have come to tell us how disappointed you are that all discussion on a decision contained in a bill is being terminated, especially since the government is also making this a matter of confidence. So some opposition parties feel they have an obligation to give the government their confidence. That prevents all discussion. It's really too bad for you, who are people concerned about the environment. In politics, MPs are supposed to be representatives of the people. We are here to represent the population. Some groups involved in environmental protection, some of the best groups, come and tell us they weren't consulted. We virtually can't introduce amendments. We can't assess the entire importance of certain measures in a part that only affects a bill's implementation. That's really too bad. I have the same opinion as you, but I can't say more.
However, I'm going to ask Mr. Lemelin a question about Canada Post Corporation. There are some technical details I would like to clarify.
Coming back to an important problem for a Crown corporation, the activities of a Crown corporation are evaluated in the context of the review of a budget bill. However, I would like to have some clarification of certain figures. We're talking about $60 million to $80 million in losses as a result of the remailers. I want to know from Mr. Lemelin, who is quite familiar with this file, whether these are actual losses as a result of businesses that are breaking the law or estimated losses as a result of the bill's implementation?