Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I was on a fact-finding mission last week with the Standing Committee on National Defence to assess our equipment, our operational readiness and the impact of cost increases. Of course, we talked about NORAD.
So when this came up in the media, of course people in my region pointed out that this wasn't happening in Quebec, but who paid the $6.4 billion? All Canadians, including Quebeckers, paid for it.
So I wanted to know if we could see the terms of the agreement. While it's true that media outlets were not exactly contradicting each other, they didn't have the same information. What's unfortunate is that of course the Parliamentary Budget Officer doesn't necessarily need a request from a department or committee to shed light on the matter. That's one thing. However, how is it that, after all the time it has taken to get to this point today, we're being told, through points of order, that now the information is available? That's all well and good, but I still have lots of questions.
Are the clauses purely descriptive? How is the $6.4 billion going to be repaid? Is that set out in the agreement? I don't know; I haven't seen it yet. It was just released. For example, is there a priority regime for payments? Do we have any guarantee of a return on our investment? Will all the tolls go into an American fund? Will everything have to be renegotiated, because...? Well, we've heard it all before.
We just got a bit of information. If a meeting hadn't been called under section 106(4) with a motion on the table, I have a feeling that we wouldn't have discussed this at all, and we wouldn't have been able to get to the bottom of this.
I totally agree that some things could have been changed for this meeting. What is absolutely crucial, however—since this is what democracy is all about—is that parliamentarians, at least, be informed of the details of the agreement, out of concern and respect for taxpayers. They want the facts. Many Quebeckers are on holiday, but I can tell you that they'll be back at work soon and I'm already hearing from some folks. They're telling me that I need to be sure, as an MP, that the negotiations are fair. I tell them that they have no more information than I do. I get it as the Prime Minister shares it.
We've been getting most of our information so far from the media, but parliamentarians should be in the know. At this point, I don't have any details about the agreement, but I do have lots of questions. Once again, decisions are being made, but we only find out about them after they've been announced, thanks to the opposition. People often say that all we do is oppose everything, but that's what democracy is all about. It is about striking a balance, because the Government of Canada is not a private company.
I'm an entrepreneur. I can do whatever I want with my own money, but when I use public funds, for example, when I use the budget I'm given as an MP, of course it's a completely different matter. That's why there are safeguards in place. That's why we have a Parliamentary Budget Officer. Personally, I think it's crucial that we get to the bottom of this. We can discuss how to go about it, but seriously, if this is coming to light today with a majority government in place, it's because the opposition brought this information to light. Are there really things we're not supposed to know?