Mr. Speaker, I had a meeting with my provincial counterparts in Ontario. For the first time the Ontario government has signalled an interest in entering into a federal-provincial agreement on immigration. Only three provinces do not have current agreements.
The government has signalled its intention to accept the request of the Ontario government and the Ontario government has made a request for federal assistance for resettlement.
Unlike the former government, this government is prepared to listen to Ontario's concerns. We will work with our provincial partners as well as those at the municipal level on behalf of all Canadians which is something the people want.
I simply said something that the hon. member and his party have been saying every day. We have a fixed amount of dollars available in the federal treasury. In fact, the member has made a campaign of talking about deficit reduction. I thought I was
being responsible in not only addressing it purely from an immigration viewpoint but also a fiscal one.