Madam Speaker, I rise today to address this House on the subject of Bill C-85, legislation dealing with proposed amendments to the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act.
Before presenting my speech, I would like to make a few comments. First, although I strongly disagree with the hon. member for Richelieu on a number of issues, including Canada's future, I want to congratulate him for making a speech based on facts. He made comparisons which help us get a better grasp of this whole issue.
It is not often that an opposition member presents facts and tries to help us better understand what we are doing.
With respect to the other speakers, it is my opinion that the Reform Party is exploiting a situation that I think it has whipped up for political gain. For example, there is the suggestion that if we take RRSPs this does not cost the taxpayers any money. I am sorry, that is terribly wrong. There are not millions but billions of dollars that the government is not getting as a result of RRSP programs. That is the kind of logic members of the Reform Party advance. They do not like to hear it, but RRSPs, those very programs they propose, would cost the government billions of dollars. They do now. Let us get serious.
Another thing that astounds me is when we talk about double standards, Reform is the party that said we must shun the parliamentary restaurant. I have been to the parliamentary restaurant and I have seen Reform colleagues there. These are the same people who said they would not go.