Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the unexpected but yet timely question relating to the $2 coin.
The member is quite right. Yesterday we unveiled the design of the new $2 coin which is a polar bear. Some of the young people have referred to it as "the bear". We hope to be able to work with the various small and medium size businesses to make the transition as smooth as possible.
The rationale for the decision was a result of the budget of the Minister of Finance. It clearly set out that by changing from the $2 note to the $2 coin we will save the taxpayers of Canada in excess of $250 million.