Mr. Speaker, yesterday in his speech to Quebec industrial commissioners the Minister of Finance for Canada predicted apocalyptically that sovereignty would jeopardize a million Quebec jobs. Finding the estimates of the leader of the no committee not catastrophic enough for his taste, the finance minister padded them by multiplying Daniel Johnson's estimates by ten.
It is worrisome and unacceptable to see such irresponsible statements made by the person who manages the enormous federal debt. We hope that the minister does not use equally farfetched estimates for his economic and budget forecasts, something one might well wonder about since the Minister of Finance has deferred his economic and budget statement until after the referendum.
What is he afraid of? Is he afraid to report to Quebecers now on his administration?