Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for a great presentation on how the whole issue is affecting his province of British Columbia.
The hon. member raised issues that do not only pertain to British Columbia. He talked about the farming sector having been devastated by the federal government's inaction on trade issues. The pine beetle infestation in British Columbia is horrendous. We went through it a few years ago in parts of Alberta. It can be very damaging but nothing is being done. By allowing the softwood lumber agreement to lapse the federal government has created tremendous hardship for the people of B.C. Every time the government puts its hands into the fishing industry it mismanages it.
A lot of us in the House cut our teeth in municipal politics before we came to this place. Can the hon. member comment on the cloud that hangs over the ability of provincial governments to properly budget and forecast? It is something that eventually affects the grassroots level of government and the taxpayer. Municipalities know full well that if the provinces are hit with the repayment a lot of it will come to rest with them. Could my hon. colleague comment on that?