Mr. Speaker, I will certainly explain myself. I am sorry the member did not listen to my speech. He only picked out points that he wanted to challenge me on, but let me explain.
The point at hand is that the equalization program is supported by Canadians. It is a fair program and the understanding of it is supported by the Reform Party. We believe in equalization, the purpose of which is to bring the provinces to the same level of being able to provide social services and health care. We and Canadians have a problem when the federal government brings that equalization bias into every program.
By no means was I using Quebec as an example other than as a demonstration of how Quebec, which has fewer immigrants needing resettlement than British Columbia, gets three times as much money. Quebec gets the benefit of the investment dollars from the immigrants but the investors move to British Columbia.
Although Quebec gets the benefit of the investment dollars and the $90 million a year even though it does not have the immigrants to support, British Columbia receives one-third of what Quebec receives although the majority of immigrants move to British Columbia. British Columbia does not have the benefit of the investment dollars to create economic growth which could be used to create the money to support them.
I was using that as an example of the equalization bias that is carried over in every transfer program the government has for the provinces. I do not apologize for that. I would like them to explain to Albertans, British Columbians and Ontarians, people from their own province, how they can justify always making those provinces pay more to get less. That is not equalization.