Mr. Speaker, I can understand the secretary of state defending the budget. What I do not understand and what I reject is the extent of his lack of knowledge of the Quebec system of loans and grants.
The millennium fund simply duplicates things. He cannot deny that. If he understands the Quebec system, if he has examined it or if he is interested in it he will see that this fund duplicates what already exists. Why not give this $80 million to the provinces in compensation and to help them improve a system they all approve?
All the provincial ministers of finance and education acknowledge that in Quebec we have the best system of student loans and grants. I do not know where he gets the idea that students do not agree with us and are in favour of the millennium fund, because it is not true.
He only need contact the various representatives of certain federations, such as the Fédération des universités et des cégeps and the Fédération des étudiants du postsecondaire to discover their total disagreement.
Currently, students receive an average of $3,800 annually in grants open to all students, according to need. The millennium fund promises $3,000 on the basis of need and merit, to be determined by a board of directors. This is a waste. Where is the system that will really ensure justice or determine a student's merit?
Do you think a student in debt, who is poor and has to work part time to pay for his studies, is going to do as well as a student whose parents are well off and can look after his needs? This is where the unfairness lies.
Regardless, what is being proposed at the moment is the duplication, in Quebec, of one of the best systems, a system praised across Canada. So why not give Quebec the right to opt out with compensation so it can help more students who are in debt?
I suggest the government go back to the drawing board on this and, if it is really so open, allow Quebec to opt out of the millennium fund.