Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak on behalf of the NDP in the debate today on Bill C-67, basically a bill which implements an agreement the current federal government signed at the World Trade Organization. Interesting that it signed it a day before the banks announced their plans to merger.
I always remember being struck with what I thought was the simulated shock on the part of the Minister of Finance that the banks had not told him this, that he had no idea what was happening. He was appalled and yet surely to goodness the Minister of Finance must have realized that by signing this agreement he created some of the significant conditions that led to the banks feeling they had to merge. We did not agree with the proposal to have the banks merge.