Mr. Speaker, as I indicated to the hon. member, in fact, rates have been coming down. There is consultation going on and I would invite the member to contribute his thoughts with regard to the consultation issue on EI rate setting.
Essentially though, the power of municipal governments to get out of property taxes is in the hands of the provinces. It is not in the hands of the Government of Canada. If the provinces want to allow a municipality to have a hotel tax, part of a gas tax, or any kind of tax, they have that power and responsibility under section 92 of the Constitution.
In 1994 the Government of Canada became the first government to deal directly with municipalities when it came to the national infrastructure program, something the municipalities had been asking for 10 years. It was this government that said it would deal directly with municipal governments in areas dealing with the environment. It set up a 20% club to reduce C0
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emissions by 20% over 10 years.
It was this government that said, on the payments in lieu of taxes, which I know the hon. member is concerned about, that the federal government will now be treated like every other taxpayer. If we do not pay on time, we get a penalty. We must go through the same process of appeal, et cetera. It was this government that brought in that legislation. The Canadian Alliance, of which the hon. member was unfortunately a member at the time, voted against it.
I am glad to see at least that the member is on the road, and is now understanding the importance of municipal government and the work we are doing together.