Mr. Speaker, I understand the point my colleague is trying to put across. But we will never subscribe to the philosophy outlined by the hon. member. All he is trying to do is have us believe that the provinces should no longer have all the powers they had previously.
Take for example page 14 of the Speech from the Throne, which I suggest he read. The provinces are referred to as provincial governments, as if they had become mere municipal governments. This is the danger with a refund for the federal tax on fuel. The money should be transferred to the provinces and there should be some sort of arbitration.
Naturally, municipalities present certain problems, such as public transit systems in several of our cities which are running deficits. Why not take the money and transfer it to the provinces so that arbitration can take place? Instead, the philosophy advocated by the hon. member is designed to reduce the provinces to mere administrations. We will never agree with that vision of Canada.