Madam Speaker, I listened with great care to the hon. member's comments on the budget. I know that people in his part of the world, like in all parts of the country, are extremely concerned about how his government is spending taxpayers' dollars.
The Minister of Finance produced a budget which in essence had $130 billion worth of taxpayers' money that was to be allocated, yet in his comments he referred to the fact that there was no area in which there could have been cuts to government spending. There was no area whatsoever that the Minister of Finance could identify that would have saved taxpayers money. He as much as said so. He as much as said that there were no areas where he felt there was an ability to trim government spending, yet the member asked rhetorically where some of that spending could be cut.
I would suggest that one place to start would have been the $700 million that has been poured into the ill–fated, unenforceable gun registry system. I know it is extremely unpopular, particularly in the north, in the area the member represents.
Another area that springs to mind is the $1 billion that seems to have gone unaccounted for in last year's HRDC budget. Incidentally, the finance minister took it upon himself, not in this budget but in the last one, to actually increase that blank cheque that went to that minister's department after she exhibited reckless spending within her department.
The auditor general identified $16 billion in 16 departments that could have been cut. That would have been a starting point. We have to look no further than the auditor general, who is an officer of this parliament, to identify some of those areas.
Another area that springs to mind is the $1.4 billion that was sent out in home heating oil rebates which made its way to some notorious places, such as some prisoners. Students who were living in residence also received them, but that is not to say that students do not deserve some kind of funding from the government. People living outside the country and deceased people were recipients of the cheques. My understanding is that of the $1.4 billion, over $250,000 did not make it into the hands of those who actually should have been receiving it. John Diefenbaker may have received a cheque.
These are just a few suggestions I have in response to the hon. member's rhetorical question.
My question to the member is, does he not associate himself with the auditor general's report? Does he not agree that there has to be somewhere in that $130 billion where even a dollar could have been trimmed to save taxpayers money this year?