Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Mississauga South for his very relevant question. I trust the member will allow me to draw a parallel with the supposed additional monies for the Department of Canadian Heritage by this government.
Although the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages boasts of investing many more millions of dollars in heritage, we see that there is nothing new, nothing fresh and useful for artists and organizations who want to tour abroad.
When asked for $45 million to allow artists to present their cultural works abroad, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages comes up with the Canada prize program into which he puts $25 million. This program will provide six-figure prizes—I will say it again, six-figure—to foreign artists. That is exactly the opposite of what is needed.
Furthermore, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages told me in this House that he had transferred artists' money to the Olympic torch relay. It is evident that this government's priorities are not where they should be.