Madam Speaker, with regard to the expert panel, as I suggested in my speech, the Conservative Party is supportive of the striking of this panel and the review process underway to look at some of these really important issues. However, specifically on the issue of non-renewable resource revenues within the equalization formula, I agree with this and am glad to see that the expert panel will be addressing it.
One of the things the hon. member across the way might like to acknowledge as well is the wide consensus among the provinces and territories for quite some time that non-renewable resource revenues are a major issue in the current formula. This has been a long outstanding issue that not only the Conservative Party has raised but also the provinces and territories.
I would much rather have seen the finance minister and the government deal with these issues head on as opposed to advocating them to an expert panel that, as the hon. member rightly pointed out, may not actually come back with an answer in the next year. The provinces and territories want an answer on this immediately.
With regard to the member's second question with regard to certainty, I understand that reference has been made in the bill about dealing with this issue if the House perhaps dissolves. This does not provide the certainty for which the territories and the provinces have been asking for at least the last five years in dealing with this issue specifically.
As I mentioned in my speech, we have what I would consider to be a crisis situation in Newfoundland and Labrador, and many of the other provinces are just as worried about this situation. They want to have some control over their own economies, particularly on this issue.