Mr. Speaker, it is amazing. The member said that we could not find a single person in Atlantic Canada who agrees with what is happening here. It completely baffles me, because in order to have any credibility to represent our people, we have to be following a leader who bases decisions on principle and integrity.
The member, as a member of the Liberal Party, seems to think, through his leader, that there is no fiscal imbalance. For him to even get up and ask a question in regard to the fact that the Conservative government is dealing with the fiscal imbalance is completely hypocritical.
The Liberals have no credibility when it comes to talking about this. As a matter of fact, the leader of the Liberal Party said when he was intergovernmental affairs minister that some provinces want special treatment to maintain their incoming benefits, even as their fiscal capacities increase. He said he disagrees, but he did an about-face in an attempt to do nothing but smear the Government of Canada, which is trying to restore fiscal balance between all the provinces.
It is a fair treatment for all of the provinces in this country. The cap is in place to make sure that provinces receiving equalization do not have greater fiscal capacity than non-receiving provinces. That is only fair and reasonable.
The province of Nova Scotia has been given a choice. The province has got, as a matter of fact, an extra year to even figure out what choice it wants to make. It will try, I believe, the new formula right now with the new equalization. That is a wise choice. It is a bird in the hand and it can make a decision after that first year as to whether or not it wants to continue on with that.
I think we have been more than gracious. The Government of Canada is listening to the people of Nova Scotia. My colleagues from Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada have stood up and have voted on principle for the budget. They are doing fine work on behalf of their constituents and I fully support them.