Mr. Speaker, we do indeed have a big problem, as my colleague, the hon. member for Laurier-Sainte-Marie has pointed out, because the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister are both members of the same government, claim to speak on behalf of the government, but are not saying the same things. We are in trouble here, it makes no sense.
During the 1993 campaign, the Prime Minister said, and I quote, "We will scrap the GST". Yet this week he informs us that "scrap", when translated into French, becomes "harmoniser"-harmonize.
My question is for the Minister of Finance. Can he explain to us why it will cost the federal government $1 billion to scrap the GST in the maritimes, when harmonizing it in Quebec cost him nothing?