Mr. Speaker, value for money? Do not make me laugh; I have chapped lips. That $122,000 is two years' salary for the average family of four. Besides, the minister is missing the point. This is not about value for money. It is about ignoring and running roughshod over Treasury Board guidelines.
Any finance minister who would squander that kind of money on a single speech is not fit to be the guardian of the public purse. Political interference in government contracts has been at the heart of every scandal in recent years. There have to be consequences. The minister should be relieved of his duties.