Mr. Speaker, my question is for the parliamentary secretary for northern affairs.
Today, budget day, we are expecting to see cuts for every Canadian. I would like to suggest that the government is overlooking a source of revenue because of its inability to act on stumpage fees in the Yukon. It would be environmentally sustainable and would in fact generate revenue.
Right now stumpage fees are 20 cents as compared to $60 in northern B.C. That is one-third of 1 per cent of what the northern B.C. stumpage fees are. The federal government could raise $19 million a year on stumpage fees. Why is the government not acting now?