Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.
The government's decision to close the military college in Saint-Jean is ill-advised. The government knows it yet obstinately refuses to reverse its position, despite the fact that it has now had to adjust downward the reported savings it would make as a result of this decision.
Furthermore, in an awkward attempt to save face, it is proposing to strike a fool's deal with Quebec whereby it would lease the college facilities to the province for $1 a year. Since the college would be stripped of its very soul, this is indeed a poisoned gift.
Does the Prime Minister not recognize that there is something shameful about this proposal to lease the empty facilities in Saint-Jean for $1 a year and that in so doing, the government would be shifting the burden of the college's operating costs onto Quebec's shoulders, without even giving the province the opportunity to buy the facilities?