Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is surprised that no one is listening. That is because he is basically repeating what has been said by every other Liberal speaker these past few days. It is as if they all had the same person writing their speeches in praise of the budget. We know full well that the budget did not meet all the expectations of Canadians, especially in the area of education.
He went on and on about the great millennium scholarship program. But let me quote Professor Trent, a professor of political science at the University of Ottawa, who had this to say about the Prime Minister's millennium scholarships:
“It amounts to the rape of federalism. It is also politically egocentric, administratively inept and strategically stupid. Moreover, it is unnecessary”.
This is what John Trent wrote. Professor Trent is right, because everyone knows full well that, with this budget, the government is once again trying to encroach some more on the provincial jurisdiction over education, especially since Quebec has the most sophisticated loans and grants program in Canada. Quebec students have the smallest debt load, with an average student debt of $11,000, compared to $25,000 in Ontario.
I ask my colleague this: Does he not agree that there is duplication, that the federal government is once again encroaching on the provincial jurisdiction over education?