Mr. Speaker, last Monday we were advised that the province of Nova Scotia, not the federal government, had decided to divert $26 million from the Wentworth bypass project in Nova Scotia to the riding of the minister of public works in Cape Breton.
Richie Mann, an MLA in Cape Breton whose riding will also benefit from this diversion of funds has stated: "Mr. Dingwall's role in this is that he talked to us about it and we talked to him about it and we all agreed it is a worthwhile project to do".
My question is for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. Why did the minister put himself in a conflict of interest position when he talked to Mr. Mann about diverting the $26 million to a tourist road in his riding from a road that has claimed over 40 lives between 1986 and 1992, a road that will now have to be a toll road?