Madam Speaker, if it is a prop, I am going to drop it, but I sure hope I do not have to drop anything else.
In his point of order, the member mentioned that I am presently drawing a pension as a member of Parliament. Is the member allowed to mention that? If so, I would like him to mention the amount of that pension because, as a matter of fact, I stopped receiving a pension on the evening of June 2. Some of your colleagues to your right and in front of you are now receiving two salaries from Quebec, at $36,000 and $32,000.
Getting back to my expenses, The amount was made public on April 19, 1995, on page 19 of La Frontière. The member said $72,000, but it was $72,749.18 to be exact. It is important to give the correct figure. July and August is the only time of year one can take time away from this House to visit the riding of Abitibi, a riding that covers 553,000 square kilometres and that includes New Quebec. It is also the safest time to travel in these parts.
This member of the Bloc does know New Quebec. I invite him to come and visit that area to understand what New Quebec is all about.
Speaking of expenses, I sent a letter to the hon. member for Témiscamingue and I also sent La Frontière , a newspaper, an open letter listing all of my expenses, even those incurred by my wife, including $5,851.18 for moving our furniture from our private home in Ottawa to Abitibi. Do you know what precipitated those specific expenses? The Bloc Quebecois, whose candidate defeated me in the 1993 election. So that can be deducted.
There is one thing I want to mention in answer to the question put by the hon. member for Témiscamingue. He wants the province of Quebec to separate from Canada but, when he talks about my expenses, he forgets that my family, my wife and my daughter, came to Ottawa, otherwise our family would have been separated. We will never agree to Quebec separating from the rest of Canada and I will never agree to be separated from my family. We have a budget to travel to our ridings and to maintain our relationships with our wives and children. Try to take away that money in Ottawa, Mr. the hon. member for Témiscamingue, and I promise you, you're going to get it.