Mr. Speaker, the member opposite said it was not the government's fault that this happened. I take exception to that.
It is the government that sends out these cheques, so if the provinces were overpaid then I, and many Canadians, would assume that it is the government's fault. It was indicated that the cabinet, the agencies and the provinces would get together to come up with a solution to this issue.
Does the member not understand and does he not think that the best solution for this problem is to forgive this money so it does not further deteriorate the health care, education and infrastructure systems in our country? If indeed this bill is sent back to the provinces, that is exactly what will happen.