Mr. Speaker, I can only repeat what I said to the House on two occasions last week.
The accounts receivable are in fact accounts receivable. They are not the area of the accounting system we regard as lost accounts which we will never collect. It is not that at all. Last year we collected $8.8 billion from accounts receivable even though the average level was at $6.6 billion. In other words, I can repeat to the House that we will collect the vast majority of the accounts receivable with interest in that $6.6 billion figure.
Canadians should know and fully understand there is not some pot of gold out there which can be brought in and then used to reduce the deficit. All the money in the $6.6 billion account which is recoverable and will be recovered with interest is money that is already taken into account by the government in its budgetary calculations.
The hon. member should recognize that this is normal business procedure. For us to try and collect the $6.6 billion immediately will result only in more companies in Canada going into bankruptcy and more honest Canadians being harassed for their last dime.