Mr. Speaker, this bill has four clauses and they are not very long. The problem is that the Bloc has failed again to read the bill.
The issue here is an insurance policy with regard to equalization. It is to ensure that in the unlikely event that we do not have an agreement by March 31 that the payments to the provinces, including Quebec, will continue to flow.
We talk about sincerity. If the Bloc members were really sincere, they would realize that the government did not cut equalization even during program review. This has been a cornerstone of the government.
We have had a successful meeting between the Minister of Finance and his provincial counterparts on October 10.
The member for Niagara Centre understands the bill completely which is why he supports it. He does not understand why there is a problem and I do not understand either.
The fact is that it is insurance. The discussions are ongoing and if Bloc members have any valid issues with regard to equalization, that is fine. However, this is not the bill dealing with that. It is simply dealing with insurance.
However, Bloc members will stand up on April 16 and scream if money is not flowing to Quebec because they did not support this insurance policy which is Bill C-54.
I know it is hard, but could we stick to the issue? If Bloc members want to talk about something else, they can do it at another time.
I would like to ask the member, if we do not have an insurance policy in place, is she going to say to the House that it is fine, no money to Quebec? Obviously not.