Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the hon. member would clarify briefly why Newfoundland should have a separate side agreement in terms of equalization and revenues that would handle the natural resource revenues differently in Newfoundland than it would say for the province of Alberta. Why should Newfoundland, for example, have only 70% of its revenues counted for equalization purposes when in Alberta it is 100%?
Could he explain exactly how that would work and whether he would be in support of having the same kind of treatment across Canada and have it done through equalization rather than to have some separate side agreements that really change the whole equalization formula?