Mr. Speaker, I thank the NDP for the accolade. I know Sudbury has turned around and done a great job.
Now we are on to the question. In response to the tsunami that hit south Asia on December 26, 2004, the Liberal government announced matching funds four days later and made them retroactive to December 26.
The government's announcement for matching funds for Burma only covers three weeks of donations, starting on May 15, two weeks after the disaster.
We know the majority of funds are given in the first 72 hours of a disaster. The cyclone hit Burma May 2. Why are the contributions not retroactive to that date?