Mr. Speaker, that is an interesting point that my Bloc colleague has raised. That is a good question. Why is the government doing it now?
If it really wants to improve the equalization deal, then it needs to sit down with the provinces. What is actually missing in the whole equation is that the federal government needs to sit down with the provinces and look through the agreement instead of rushing ahead and extending the date just because the House is about to shut down. That is the wrong reason. It is the wrong reason for even tabling the bill in the House.
If the government really wants to do good work and wants to show it is willing to cooperate with the provinces, then what is the problem? Can it not sit down with the provinces and go through the agreement and rework it? Perhaps there could be a 10 year agreement with different slots to review the agreement.
I have a problem with the process, the procedure and the timing of the bill.