Mr. Speaker, perhaps I did not make myself clear at the outset of my intervention today. I am not defending anything that went on in the past. I feel as my colleague does that there were a lot of things that went on with respect to the privatization concept that may one day be exposed.
I do not think that is our job today. I think our responsibility here today is to get on with the problem of deciding if there is compensation to a party, Pearson Development Corporation. Leave the problems of the workings of government and how they evolved for another day so it does not hamper what we want to do immediately. I have nothing to hide nor does this government have anything to hide with what we have done.
If there is anyone who wants to hide anything I would suggest to my colleagues that the previous government should be answering to how it got us into this position at Pearson Development Corporation up to this point.
All we are trying to do, and I impress this upon my friend, is clean up a mess. A royal commission, I suspect that is what my friend is alluding to.-What is a royal commission? A royal commission is four, five or half a dozen independent people who have not perhaps been exposed to the problem before. They are funded. What is the price of a royal commission today? The last one I saw on transportation policy came out to be $22 million. Do we need that type of venture today? Do we need that type of inquisition in order to tell us something that we already know? Are we prepared to spend that kind of money? We will have a report in 18 months or 24 months-that is what it takes to have a royal commission now-on something we already know.
I understand. I sympathize. I appreciate the comments the member just made but I am saying let us get on with the job. Get this thing over with and not only work here for Pearson International Airport, but work on behalf of every airport in this country.