Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works said that using $2 coins would result in savings of some $225,000. I wonder how much it will cost to repair our pockets though, because it is going to be a heavy load to carry. My comment is somewhat in line with the sense of humour displayed by the minister when he alluded to the possibility of having his face appear on the new $2 coin.
The closing of some CMHC offices is a more serious issue. I agree that the government must reduce spending. However, I find it hard to understand why the minister decided to close the CMHC office in my riding of Longueuil, since some 1.2 million people live in the Montérégie. I think it would have been justified to keep an office to manage CMHC affairs in that region. That region has a larger population than the province of Nova Scotia where, I imagine, there must be at least one CMHC office. So, I ask the minister: Why he is taking that step and, second, from where will he manage all the properties in the Montérégie?