Madam Speaker, there is no question that the government has amassed huge surpluses and many times at the expense of the provinces and particular sector groups, such as the farmers in Saskatchewan who could use an immediate payment for seeding at $50 or $60 an acre before March. The government has the money to do those kinds of things but it has chosen not to. It could direct those funds. It has done so to other projects that help particular sector groups, including those in Quebec.
As far as the position to be taken on the Bloc motion tonight, the member will have to attend here at the appropriate time and see how the vote goes.
However I can tell the member that there is no question that the government has not only made huge surpluses on the backs of ordinary Canadians, but it has funded pet projects of its own and has ignored various sectors in Canada that are undergoing the greatest crisis in their lifetime.
Farming as we know it on the prairies is about to disappear. There are 169 auction sales and 49 of them in my constituency. The government is doing nothing to help farmers and to bail out good families that had a good farm income. These are families that did well in the past but are now giving up. Farmers need some of those funds now. The federal government should be using those funds and looking after parts of Saskatchewan and other parts of this country that need that assistance now.