Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to the member's speech. It reminded me that we are in the House as members of parliament not just to speak for our own communities but to represent all regions of Canada when there is a particular crisis.
The problems we have had in terms of changing the fiscal direction of the country have not just been difficult for the province of Quebec. I acknowledge that we have problems in my community of downtown Toronto with a lack of affordable shelter. We have had lots of problems, but when we on this side of the House as well as members of the New Democratic Party and members of the Conservative Party stand, we speak for all Canadians.
It is terribly unfair that the member positions his criticisms of us as a government. By the way, some of those criticisms can be valid because we have had a very tough time with the economy. He should also position them in a way that acknowledges the province of Quebec over the last 10 or 12 years has been classified through the economic formula as a have not province. Those provinces in an advantaged position have transferred over $100 billion. I have never heard any resentment on any side or from any other members of parliament about the fact that those transfers have been made, because that is the nature of a federation. I appeal to the member to consider that the House is the boardroom of Canada. It is not just for us to come here and speak only for those people who are in pain in Quebec.
The member should start to realize that the special privilege and responsibility of being in here is that it is as much my responsibility to care about his constituents as it is his to care about mine. We have to remind ourselves and Quebecers that they are not a persecuted community or a persecuted province. In fact all Canadians have shared happily with Quebecers over the last number of years, and we will continue to do so long after these separatists are put into extinction.