Minister, your speaking time is my speaking time.
When you gave out a carbon tax rebate a few days before the election, you were reimbursing unpaid taxes. Just like the citizens of Quebec, which has its own system, those of Alberta and Saskatchewan had not paid the tax that would have justified the rebate.
My understanding is that you believe the Parliamentary Budget Officer lied to us when he said that seven provinces were reimbursed for taxes that had not been paid.
When officials from the Department of Finance appear before this committee and tell us the rebate was given out for taxes that had yet to be paid, they're not doing meticulous work. It's okay when the Minister of Finance appears before this committee and, while not denying the facts, says that buying votes isn't a big deal because the Champlain Bridge was paid for using the consolidated revenue fund. That means the opposition and the Parliamentary Budget Officer are the ones denying the facts.
It's not easy being a minister, is it?