Mr. Speaker, first, I did not challenge the ethics of the ethics commissioner and, second, I asked the Minister of Finance to explain his position to this House. I did not accuse him of anything whatsoever.
We all know that prior to his career in politics the Minister of Finance was the president of Canada Steamship Lines and presumably placed his shares in a blind trust. If I were the Minister of Finance I would be very surprised to find that these shares were all gone when I left office, returned to private life and checked the blind trust to find out what was in there. I am sure if he finds that the shares of Canada Steamship Lines are gone he will be asking somebody for an explanation.
Perception is important and I ask that the Minister of Finance provide this House with an explanation.