Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want the minister to know that my role as a parliamentarian on this committee cannot be questioned. I pushed for more time, but despite everything, we will still have only twelve days to conduct hearings.
I would also like to quote, if I may, from an article which appeared in this morning's edition of The Globe and Mail :
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"Finance Minister Paul Martin has indicated that reducing Canada's $45 billion deficit will have to wait while the government deals with fundamental issues such as reforming the social safety net".
My supplementary question is as follows: Will the minister concede that if he is in such a rush, it is because he wants to give the Minister of Finance the opportunity to make cuts in social programs next year?