Mr. Speaker, could you tell him he has done nothing to protect dairy producers? Of course, he is going to answer: "I am from Montreal, there are no farmers in my riding". He should tell his constituents that there are many consumers among them and that they will have to pay more for their butter and cheese. Cheese will be around 50 cents more a kilo and butter 28 cents more a pound; but he will not say a thing. His constituents mentioned it, he will not be seen anymore. They saw him during the campaign, but they will not see him any longer.
Of course, Bernard Landry, now a Quebec minister, was one of those who supported harmonization back then. He was not sitting in the National Assembly at the time, but he agreed with Robert Bourassa that harmonization was the way to go. It is a lot more convenient. I was one of those who had to fill in the infernal GST-QST forms every month. It was very costly and time consuming, and the amount of tax was very little since my business was not international.
This being said, when we harmonized, did Ottawa give us $1 billion? Certainly not. Quebec could get carried away and say: "Let us raise the sales tax, the QST, to 19 or 20 per cent as in Newfoundland" and then several months later, it would decide to harmonize. It seems that this would cost Quebec $1.2 billion. The province could then tell the rest of Canada: "Give us $1.2. billion". This is the way it works.
Essentially, what the finance minister did is use taxpayers' money to buy three provinces to start with. Prince Edward Island should follow in a few months. This will bring the number to four, but there are many other provinces missing. In Alberta there is no sales tax.
Alberta will most certainly not come on board, neither will British Columbia, or Quebec; Ontario is not interested. In Ontario, they do not want to increase taxes, they want to lower them. These four provinces account for close to 80 per cent of the total population, or at least 75 per cent. This is a strange way to fe fair.
To conclude, I will remind the House that to be accepted, a tax must be fair and simple. What the finance minister is doing is neither fair nor simple. It is far from being fair.
The international cooperation minister did not tell me if he checked how much taxes he paid last time he filled up his car, how much taxes he paid when he bought a quart of liquor or a case of beer, how much taxes there is on cigarettes. This government is being hypocritical in attempting to hide the GST it criticized so vehemently when it was in opposition.