Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. I would like to know if he finds that the situation that I will be presenting shortly regarding the equalization system legislation is normal.
The current legislation covers the period from April 1999 to March 31, 2004. That is five months from now. If the negotiations with the provinces were over, we would normally be considering a bill that would cover the next five years, from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2009. Instead, the bill before us will essentially extend the current provisions by one year.
If it were really necessary to extend the current agreement, would the federal government not have shown more respect for the provinces by introducing this bill in February or in March of 2004, once the negotiations are completed? Why extend the current agreement, when we know that it contains errors and gaps that should be corrected?
Would it not have been better for the government to wait? Why is it acting now?