Mr. Speaker, I would inform the hon. member on the other side that I will not be supporting the motion.
The premise of the motion is questionable, to say the least. According to its logic the government made an accounting error through what the opposition deems to have been mismanagement, and therefore the provinces should not be required to return the money.
Let us apply the same logic to other issues that have provoked acrimonious debate in the House such as the issue of contracts. The opposition has accused the government of mismanagement in awarding contracts. It has said there were unjustified payments. Are opposition members saying if that was the case and it was the government's fault then companies like Groupaction should not be required to return the money?