Thank you.
I've been listening very carefully to my colleague. He has been talking about fisheries, but he was talking about fisheries in the context of ministerial responsibility and the common purpose of cabinet deciding together on issues of ministerial responsibility.
He also spoke to the questions he would put to the Minister of Finance if she ever deems it...that she would come to a committee that is in fact here to study the finances, economics and budget of our government, of which she is the prime minister responsible. Fisheries are part of that. My colleague was talking about the kinds of questions he would put to the minister if she came here—the kinds of questions she should be accountable for.
I have been a minister. I have come to committee to defend my ministerial budgets and I always took that very seriously. I took ministerial responsibilities seriously. Any minister should do so. Even the thought that a minister of finance would put forward a budget—in other words, the budget for all of Canada on how Canada's government will run and administer the workings of the nation—then not make herself available to answer questions on that budget is, frankly, unbelievable and a dereliction of that duty and responsibility.
The fact that this speaker, my colleague, is talking about what he would ask her if she came seems to me to be quite appropriate. He happens to be in fisheries. He might be talking about something else, because budgets go to all ministries. Budgets of the nation go to all industries and all activities of the nation, and the minister should be here to respond.