Madam Speaker, the hon. Liberal member across the way has asked who is needy. That is basically the nature of the question. I would like to make a list of some of the people who have received HRDC funding. I would like the taxpayers to determine whether or not this is list of needy individuals. That is the question the Liberals have posed. Are these people needy?
Is Wal-Mart needy of taxpayer subsidy? Is Canada Safeway needy of taxpayer subsidy? Is Shoppers Drug Mart needy of taxpayer subsidy? How about private accounting firms? Do they deserve hard earned tax dollars? What about the 20 police investigations that have gone on? Surely 20 police investigations with HRDC would indicate the police have questions about whether or not HRDC fund recipients were needy as the Liberal member likes to ask.
Were fountains in Shawinigan needy? Taxpayer funding of golf courses, is that what the Liberals call needy? How about hotels in the Prime Minister's riding of Shawinigan, ones where the funds went to foreigners and lined the pockets of businessmen in Belgium, people who had track records and histories of doing improper things with funds? Is that needy? Is it needy when a businessman who has a bad track record with funds was getting taxpayer subsidy? Is that the Liberal definition of needy?
Is it needy to go ahead and set up a database that can raid the bank accounts of the elderly? Is that what the government calls needy, taking somebody who is retired, going into the person's bank account and stripping it dry by taking out thousands of dollars? Is that needy? Does the government need the thousands of dollars in an elderly person's bank account? Does it really need them?
Shame on the government for raising the question of need. The Liberals know nothing about need. They only know about a lack of priorities and buying votes.