Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, which is very much to the point.
In response to his question, I want to reassure him that what the Canadian Alliance member just told us is utterly false. It is on a per capita basis. Quebec is one of the most populous provinces. We now send $40 billion to Ottawa, and it is not true that we receive our fair share. It is on a per capita basis.
The member can quote figures from his computer and look all over the place, but he has to understand how the system works. Looking at the figures is not enough to determine what equalization is.
We send over $40 billion to Ottawa and we do not receive our fair share in several areas, whether it is equalization payments or federal buildings. We do have federal buildings in Quebec, but how many do we have compared to Ontario?
These are economic spinoffs to which we are entitled since we pay our fair share. We even pay more than our fair share. This is why I said earlier the we have now reached a point where Quebec must achieve sovereignty so we can pass our own laws, sign our own treaties and manage our own money.