Let me tell you something. If you want to call me out of order, you try. I was there. I do not know where you were, but I was there.
Newly minted Liberal statisticians: that is what I have been listening to. As we know, a statistician is someone who often, when working with the numbers, first looks at what is required for an answer and then finds the means to manipulate the numbers to come to that answer. I would say that we have a newly minted group of Liberal statisticians in the House, because they have looked for the answer first and now they are attempting to find a way to get to the answer. I can tell members that is what I have been hearing from the government benches. We cannot do it. We owe more to the future of Nova Scotia and more to the future of Newfoundland and Labrador than that.
Madam Speaker, I should say that I will share my time with the member for New Brunswick Southwest.
It would be my sincere and heartfelt opinion that all government members in this debate, and especially the Minister of Natural Resources, should follow the sage advice of our elders that one really should not deliver a speech if one has no intention of improving on silence. Silence is what we are used to hearing from the Liberal members on this issue. Suddenly today some of them found their feet underneath them, but we have a series of Liberal cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries we have not heard from in this debate.
I will give the Minister of Natural Resources credit that at least he showed up. There are more in the series: the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, ministers from New Brunswick, ministers from P.E.I., and the parliamentary secretaries in all four Atlantic provinces. All of them do not deem this debate important enough to participate in. That is a real travesty of their right to be a parliamentarian.
Beyond the silence, we have heard excuse after excuse from the Minister of Natural Resources as to why he is not fighting. He is not fighting for the prosperity of Atlantic Canada. During the election as late as June 27, the Prime Minister assured Atlantic Canada--and won seats in Atlantic Canada based on his assurance--that he would deliver 100% of the offshore royalties.
I can tell members what we get today and I do not need to be a statistician to manipulate the numbers, because these are the facts. The Province of Nova Scotia receives 19¢ of every federal dollar from offshore revenue. The federal government receives 81¢. The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador receives 27¢ of every federal dollar. I do not think that is a fair cut. I do not know if these guys are card players or mathematicians or what they are, but if that is called equality, it is not equality based on the premise that I understand equality to be based on.
Why is it that the moment someone becomes a cabinet minister in this government he is suddenly emasculated and silent? Why is it that these ministers no longer understand the reason they were elected to this House, which is to stick up for the part of the country that they come from regardless of where that part of the country is?
Let us not mix this up with this convoluted equalization formula. This has nothing to do with equalization. This has everything to do with fairness and there is certainly no fairness here.
In 1987, when Nova Scotia signed the final Canada-Nova Scotia offshore accord, there was no offshore, so it was easy for the government of the day, and with good intentions, I would say, to say that Nova Scotia would be the chief beneficiary of any revenues flowing from the offshore.
Let me tell members, though, that Nova Scotia is not the chief beneficiary of the offshore. This is not about changing the language. This is very simple. This is all about fairness.
Let us take a look at what we in Atlantic Canada actually receive from the offshore. This agreement would be a baby step, a very important first step for the region, because excepting the royalties there is not much else in Atlantic Canada coming from the offshore. Most contracts that supply the rigs are with foreign-owned industry. Offshore resources are taken elsewhere. Refining, processing and petrochemical industries are not located in the region. Even with the agreement, the Atlantic provinces will not be getting the full benefits of their offshore resources. Places like Norway--where the industries are set up at source and around the coast and the jobs stay at home--get the royalties plus the benefits from the infrastructure.
How is one able to build infrastructure? By keeping the royalties and by having the wherewithal to build the infrastructure that puts those extra jobs in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
If we look at the press releases and if we are following this closely, as I am sure all members in the House are, the Prime Minister committed to reforming the equalization system under which the richer provinces support the poorer provinces. He has not been able to do that, and on top of that he has not been able to even deliver to Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia the royalties that they deserve from the offshore. He made an election promise of 100%. I would expect and I would be certain that he would intend to respect his pledge and deliver 100%.
I have one minute left and a lot to say. It is almost criminal to think that to this government 100% means an eight year limit to a deal and then a clawback of royalties should Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, heaven forbid, become as wealthy as Ontario. Could we imagine another province in this country as powerful and as wealthy as Ontario? Absolutely scandalous. Ontario is the breadbasket and the heartland of this country, but we should not link other provinces to being as wealthy as Ontario nor should we say shame on them if they are wealthier than Ontario. I do not think there is one person in Ontario who would think that is a fair formula, not one. I ask members to try to find one and get the person to state that publicly. It is ludicrous.
In my opening remarks I referred to statisticians. I would like to apologize to any and all statisticians if any of my comments caused hurt or cast aspersions on that very dedicated and illustrious group. However, I have no apology at all for the Liberal members opposite.