Mr. Speaker, I compliment my colleague from Elk Island for his thoughtful and disciplined look at this bill and the explanation he has given.
A number of thoughts came to my mind that I would like to raise for his consideration. He mentioned NavCanada coming out of Transport Canada. In that instance we see private pilots who will begin to pay $60 per year for their airplanes to use the navigation system. But they are not getting anything back for that. They are still paying the same amount of taxes on aircraft fuel.
Another instance is the post office. We have seen how that crown corporation has gone into the courier business in direct competition with other couriers. It has the advantage of being the only corporation that distributes first class mail. It has the resources of the government to compete.
There is a general thrust of the federal government taking more and more discretionary and using that power to open up a competitive force against private business. My colleague mentioned the discretion of the minister in this legislation to make decisions without reference to parliament. The other side to that kind of discretionary action is it diminishes the powers of the parliament which is directly responsible to the people.
This lack of discretion and this opening up of the competitive front against private industry is something that truly concerns me. It seems to work against the best interests of not only corporate Canada but individuals who are attempting to make a living and support their families and their children.
I would like the member to comment on this whole thrust of the government's increasingly taking more and more discretionary power and by the same token reducing the authority, responsibility and accountability of parliament to the Canadian people.