Mr. Speaker, I will certainly look into whether those documents can be provided to the hon. member.
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador's exceptional treatment afforded under their offshore accords is secure.
I would remind the member that the cumulative best-of guarantee is untouched. This means that, at a minimum, both provinces will continue to receive additional offset payments based on how much equalization they would have received if they had no offshore revenues bolstering their respective fiscal capacities. If, like Nova Scotia, they had opted into the O'Brien formula, they would continue to benefit from the cumulative best-of guarantee.
I remind my colleague of the words of the former minister of intergovernmental affairs, the new leader of the separatist-backed coalition when he said, “The federal government believes it would be ill-advised to grant such special treatment to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland or any other province”.