Madam Speaker, I think that the hon. member of the opposition is confusing the equalization program with the stabilization program.
The object of equalization payments is to give the have-not provinces the possibility of providing public services of a quality similar to those offered elsewhere. That is why equalization payments are not made available to the wealthiest provinces, but only to those less well-off. That is not the object of stabilization payments.
The object of stabilization payments is to stabilize provincial revenues. If your revenues, according to the criteria, are lower than before, the federal government offers a compensation. If they are not lower or if they are but because of something that the provincial government itself has done, then there is no compensation. That is what happened.