Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this prebudget debate. I regret that, as has become the new convention in the House under this government , these debates are essentially meaningless time set aside for members to keep themselves busy while the government has no legislative agenda.
I have commented before on the convention at the Westminster mother parliament where, in an honest take note debate of this nature, one will find ministers of the crown or their senior designates sitting in the chamber to take note. It has some meaning there. Regrettably that is not the case here as usual.
Let me say though--