Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his excellent question. In my excitement, I forgot to mention that. First of all, Quebec receives lower equalization payments per capita than most of the other provinces that receive equalization. It seems like a lot, but that is because our population is greater than that of other provinces. Seven million people now live in Quebec. Per capita equalization transfer payments are lower than what most other provinces are getting.
Federal government transfer payments to Quebec have risen by 55% from 1993 to 2007. Wow, that is a lot. However, taken together, the other provinces minus Quebec have received 66%. That means that we have received less than the others.
From 1993 to 2007, the federal government's revenues increased by 91%. The reasons for the fiscal imbalance are obvious. My colleague noted, quite rightly, that the oil and gas sector has received huge direct subsidies. From 1970 to 2000, Ottawa gave $66 billion in direct subsidies to the fossil fuels industry—coal, natural gas and oil—and a paltry $329 million to the renewable energy sector, not a penny of which went to hydroelectricity. This means that we paid for our hydroelectricity, we paid for the Hibernia oil sands development project, and now we are being asked to cover the cost of cleaning up the pollution these industries produce. Who do they think they are fooling? We want what we deserve, that is all.