Mr. Speaker, at the same time that the Minister of Finance was vainly trying to reach agreement with the provinces on distribution of the drastic cuts in social programs announced by Ottawa early this year, the Minister of Human Resources Development was freeing up $720 million for a new national child care strategy. Surprisingly, the Minister of Finance was totally in the dark about the announcement.
What explanation can there be for the Minister of Finance knowing nothing, at the very moment when he was discussing significant cuts in social programs with the provinces, about his Human Resources Development colleague's initiative, his decision to inject $720 million into a new daycare package?