Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome the new member for Madawaska—Restigouche to the debate.
I feel that having been here in the previous Parliament I should clarify some of the misconceptions which he expressed in his speech.
He mentioned that there were no consultations on the CPP changes. That is simply not true. Members will know that the CPP is a joint program of the federal and provincial governments and the law requires that both agree. Last spring a member of the government led consultations in every major city across the country. Not only was he present but other members from the government side were present and their counterparts of the provincial governments came to hear the witnesses with them. Those witnesses included representatives of most seniors groups, and even some young people came to make their views known. Consultations were held.
I am glad that the member agrees that there is a need for reform. I feel that it is too bad that other members of his party when they had the chance to bring these reforms about 10 years ago did not see the light as he has. He complains that we only brought forward the reforms in 1997 when they were due in 1996. There was an opportunity in 1986 to begin these changes which would have meant less dramatic changes had it been done then.
I wonder if the member agrees that perhaps his party when it was in power should have moved then in order to lessen the burden today.