Madam Speaker, it is pretty hard to cry poor when the numbers do not back it up. As I said earlier, Saskatchewan is hardly facing the same economic and fiscal challenges that Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia face.
In Saskatchewan's case, net debt was one of the lowest in the country at 19.3% with 11 consecutive surplus budgets. Newfoundland and Labrador's unemployment rate is 17.5% and Saskatchewan's is 5.5%. The debt to GDP in Newfoundland and Labrador is 63% and 43% in Nova Scotia.
Therefore, it is pretty hard for the hon. member to claim that it is a terrible per capita situation, when in fact the numbers speak exactly to the opposite. As I said before, the Minister of Finance has been the one to advocate Saskatchewan's issues before the cabinet table and I would argue that $710 million is a pretty darn fine--