Mr. Speaker, I rise today to respond to a question of privilege raised by the hon. member for Sherbrooke on March 3, 1995.
On March 2, I was contacted by the chief government whip. He informed me that a possible question of privilege could be raised in the House. Following the conversation, I prepared a written statement for the chief government whip and for all members of the House of Commons.
This statement was put on the record by the government whip on March 3 and I thank him. The Hill Times column discussed at length by the hon. member for Sherbrooke on March 3, 1995 contains a quote by me regarding the budget.
In my comments to the Hill Times I was referring to the measures announced by the President of the Treasury Board on February 21, 1995. These measures were presented publicly prior to the budget and resulted from concerns as expressed by members of all parties, including the Liberal caucus, for the future downsizing of the public service.
The number of public servant reductions was not known until the budget, although measures such as the early retirement incentive and the early departure incentive were announced earlier.
While never informed of the details, we were told the budget would be tough but fair. I was not privy to any confidential information, nor am I aware of any other member's having knowledge of the contents of the budget before it was presented to all Canadians.
We know the importance of budget secrecy. It is a tradition, respected and practised by the Minister of Finance. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my response to the question of privilege raised the previous sitting day.