Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what the member thinks of the present the federal government just gave the three maritime provinces.
We know it will give close to one billion dollars to these three provinces. It was mentioned that harmonizing the GST will cost more to the maritime provinces involved. Right now, as far as I know, the provincial taxes in the maritimes are between 11 and 12 per cent. They are the highest in Canada. In Quebec, the sales tax used to be 9 per cent, now its is 6.5 per cent.
Could it be, by any chance, that this gift of one billion dollars to three maritime provinces is to compensate for what they are losing due to UI cuts? Is this a way the government found to compensate them for their UI losses? This seems to me a rather obvious coincidence.
The two ministers from New Brunswick were having a great deal of difficulty making people swallow the UI reform. It seems that they are being rewarded or compensated so that the two senior ministers from New Brunswick can be better perceived by the public.
In any case, for us in Quebec, there is something we find unacceptable. It is estimated that Quebec will have to pay $250 million in compensation. We are going to give close to one billion dollars to the maritime provinces.
Of course, this $250 million is not directly part of the one billion dollars. However, we know that when the government's revenues are down, and when the time comes to transfer money to meet its responsibility with regard to health care and post-secondary education, among others, we know that the funds it will transfer will be less the money it will give the maritimes.
We are well aware that in Quebec we will experience losses amounting to at leat $250 million because of this. I would like to know what the member thinks of all this, of this nice present to the maritime provinces.