Well, maybe it's true. I suspect that the minister has a hospitality suite tonight. I don't know why he would be doing that. Perhaps my Liberal friends could share with me why he would be hosting a hospitality suite. He is a hospitable fellow.
In that hospitality suite...or perhaps the Minister of Industry could ask the Minister of Finance at the session why she thinks it is good fiscal management planning to commit $13 billion of taxpayer money outside of this fiscal framework beyond the life of this government. How is that responsible? I'd like him to ask that, perhaps. Everybody wants to know.
You know, the minister likes to talk in business language. I'm talking about the Minister of Finance but also the Minister of Industry. One of the languages of budgets and ministers of finance and ministers of industry is “return on investment”. It's an important thing, ROI.
The Minister of Industry, speaking of accountability to Parliament, has stood in the House with regard to this Volkswagen deal.
I know that Andrew Coyne is listening: Listen carefully, because you seem to have missed the questions I asked in the House on Volkswagen.
I'll ask either of these ministers, if I get a chance, why the Minister of Industry stood in the House and said that the ROI on the Volkswagen $14-billion deal is a payback in five years, and I'll tell you why. He said every banker in Canada—probably not the ones in Silicon Valley, but every banker in Canada—would love to have a return on investment in five years.
To be fair to the Minister of Industry, he did show up to the industry committee last week.