I would hope that the member on the other side would find it possible not to also send out derogatory remarks such as calling members on this side of the house puppets because that is impugning the character of members on this side of the House.
The Bloc has put forward an amendment and a proposal asking for a public hearing. I want to know how the member can justify the great delay that would take, the great expense that would also entail and would it not be prudent to put this behind us? The bill is pretty clear as to what we will pay and what we will not pay. We will not pay lobbyist fees, we will not pay loss of profits, loss of opportunities but we will pay out of pocket expenses. The bill is pretty explicit. In fact it says that we negotiate on those terms. If we cannot negotiate on those terms, 30 days after proclamation there in fact will be no further negotiations and the people will get nothing.
The Bloc talks to us about fiscal responsibility, talks to us about transparency, talks about getting on with building this country, building Pearson and so on. How can it put forward a proposal that will cost the Canadian taxpayers more money, not less money, and in fact delay the process even further?