Mr. Speaker, there is no fiscal imbalance. We know that the Bloc Quebecois thinks there is a fiscal imbalance when there is a federal surplus, but it does not talk about an imbalance when there is a federal deficit.
The level of the deficit in the 20 years prior to 1997 was much higher than the level of the surplus in the past four or five years.
Therefore, I presume he thinks that it is justifiable for the provinces to help reduce the federal government's accumulated deficit.