Madam Speaker, first I would like to congratulate my Reform colleague for his appointment as his party's intergovernmental affairs critic. I am sure he will be as keen and dedicated in his new role as he was as health critic. I am looking forward to debates with him and the intergovernmental affairs minister, as undoubtedly they will be worthwhile debates.
I would like to point out to him that indeed very little was said in the throne speech about unity. The word unity can only be found once in the throne speech; the government might think it will keep the country together if decisions—I mean the important decisions—are made in Ottawa and carried out by the provinces.
Obviously this is the way we feel the federal government thinks federalism should be. Actually, not so much the federal government because the words federal and federalism hardly occur in the throne speech.
I would like to know whether the Reform intergovernmental affairs critic has noticed, as we have, that the government wants to centralize, and whether his party is not discouraged by this government's attitude when it comes to changing the way we look at the future and federalism in Canada.