Mr. Speaker, the answer to that question is obvious. Tenants should not be paying rent beyond what is practical and what is appropriate. I wish the government could understand some simple little concept like that, because, getting back to the Auditor General's report at page 10-21, it states, “From 1992 to 1999”--presumably based on overcharging, as the member pointed out--“Transport Canada turned back or offset a total of some $246 million to fund shortfalls in revenues of transferred airports”.
The airports just about went broke and had to hand them back. Is that how we should run a country? No. In talking about airports, the Auditor General also pointed out on the same page that “the Calgary, Pearson and Vancouver airports accounted for over 95 percent of Transport Canada's total revenues...in 1998”. He also said, I believe, that the government could not charge nothing.
What is the government doing? It is paying the tenants to use the property. It is negative rent. I have never heard of such a scandal.