Madam Chairman, I have here, in the list of sponsorships approved by the federal government, a series of quite astounding details.
I would like the minister to explain how this meets the expectations of citizens.
Here is what we find: Canadian Football League, $95,000; Montreal Expos, $1,223,000; the Montreal Expos caravan, $54,000; the soccer club l'Impact, $300,000; the NHL All-Star Game, $80,000—and hockey players are not what you would call disadvantaged people; the Senators, season 1997-98, $355,000.
I could go on up to a total of $20 million invested in professional hockey teams or basketball and baseball teams. In Canada, over a period of four to five years, professional sports teams received $20 million from the government.
What do we say to taxpayers who ask us questions about the usefulness of giving sponsorships to professional sports teams?