Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance confirmed that up to a billion dollars will be paid to the governments of the maritime provinces as compensation for their potential loss of tax receipts due to the process of harmonizing the GST and provincial taxes.
My question is for the Minister of Finance. Why does negotiating the harmonization of the GST with the sales tax in the maritime provinces require all Quebecers and all Canadians to foot the bill for a portion of the consumer taxes currently assumed by the people of the maritimes?