Not at all, Mr. Speaker. First, costs are being shared between the federal government and the governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. In other words, the costs are shared more or less equally for four years. The adjustment payments will stop at the end of the four years.
Clearly there is a structural change. We are sharing the costs of these changes, because all of Canada will benefit when we create more jobs in the Maritimes, which will certainly be the outcome.
Second, the idea of centralization is perfectly ridiculous. The federal and provincial governments are joining together to reduce the burden on the taxpayers in these provinces and to reduce administrative costs.
Representatives of Canada's accountants' association have said this streamlining will save taxpayers $100 million. They have said that Canadian firms could save as much as $700 million, if we could do the same thing. This is a lot of money, and I think it is worth it.
Now, with the basic point the member is making is that taxpayers in the other provinces should not help in the case of structural change, for example, he is in fact denying the principle of equalization payments, which benefit Quebec enormously.