Madam Speaker, I closed my speech with a similar comparison. It is indeed sad to see the government using the surpluses instead of improving the pensions of those who will be retiring or are already retired.
Instead, the government is taking this money and using it. In any event, it is possible, through a complicated mechanism, to put it into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, since the latter will pay its premiums. But we know that the Consolidated Revenue Fund will be able to get its hands on this money.
That is why I said it brought to mind the federal government's whole management approach, which is to take everything it can get from workers. This is what it does with employment insurance, transfer payments and now this pension fund bill.
I would like to read part of a release issued by employees and pensioners. It said basically the following:
After a six-year salary freeze, massive job reductions through direct layoffs or privatization, and continual foot-dragging on pay equity rulings, the position adopted by the Treasury Board during the 1998 consultation on public service pension reform is of great concern.
They were right to be concerned, because I think that the bill as it now stands goes much further than they were worried about at the time.