Mr. Speaker, in 1996-97 alone the federal cost recovery program was estimated to cut Canada's GDP by $1.3 billion costing 23,000 Canadian jobs in the process. Yet for every dollar in user fees charged to business, the feds are only gaining 20 cents in additional revenue. Why did the President of the Treasury Board not listen to the pleas of small, medium and large businesses and put a freeze on new or increased user fees until a new fairer framework could be put in place?
In the House of Commons on March 15th, 1999. See this statement in context.