Mr. Speaker, I would like to find out something from any member of the government, be it the finance minister or members who recently presented. I would like to ask a question and make a quick observation.
It has been a proposal of the Conservative Party to have the federal tax dollars, which our constituents pump into their gas tanks, returned to communities. Right now the money is sent to Ottawa and are rarely seen again in British Columbia. What we do see is only a tiny percentage of what we send to Ottawa.
Could someone tell me, without revealing confidences of course, whether our proposal to have a significant portion of those tax dollars returned to the constituencies from which they came, is in the upcoming budget and if it is, how aggressively that will be pursued?
I can tell the House that the mayors and councils from Logan Lake, Merritt,Westside, Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, Eramatta, Colleagan, Okanagan Falls, Twin Lakes and all the other people involved would be very pleased to see that happen. I say that at some risk that they might even begin to feel better about Liberals.
The observation I have is this. Would the member indicate that she will strongly object to what we understand is coming? We understand that there are a lot of big issues. The House knows our position on taxes, on the deficit, on debt reduction and all of that. However there is something that could be revealing in the government's overall philosophy in the proposal to tax junior hockey players on the tiny little amount that they have for accommodation and meals.
I talked to people like Scott Carter, the owner of the Penticton Vees, the one time world champions. Junior hockey players right across the country are saying that they receive something like $325 to house themselves and to eat and that if the government goes ahead with this tax, junior hockey players will not be eligible to go, for instance, to the United States on scholarships. It will also have a severe impact on Olympic athletes.
As I said, sometimes these little things reveal something much larger about the government philosophy. Could the member also comment on that?