Mr. Speaker, over the past several years, the University of Prince Edward Island has formulated a proposal to establish a centre for rural excellence. The project would benefit the university greatly, as well as other areas of Prince Edward Island.
On March 4, the finance minister tabled the federal budget. On page 242 of the budget, it states:
Upgrades to infrastructure at the University of Prince Edward Island will create over 300 jobs and inject about $30 million into the economy.
It was positive news, as it suggested the university could proceed with creating the centre.
On March 25, I asked the finance minister in this House whether the statement that was in his budget was accurate. His answer was, “The budget is accurate”.
Around that time or shortly thereafter, things started to slide, particularly the information we were receiving from the Department of Industry, as it attempted to explain the statement given by the minister in the House and the statement in the budget.
The Department of Industry explained that UPEI had previously received a small grant of $2 million and that by using the multiplier of 15, we could get to $30 million, and this was the promise. Obviously, that was ridiculous. It was next suggested that the $30 million referred to other projects, which did not add up to anything close to $30 million and also did not involve the University of Prince Edward Island.
This was a total fabrication. It was not correct. One would expect that statements in the budget would be accurate and that the minister's answers to questions put to him in the House would also be accurate.
This issue is reflective of a fundamental problem with this institution; namely, there are no repercussions for making these types of statements.
My question for the parliamentary secretary or the minister, whoever is answering the question, is extremely simple. I would appeal to him to not just read the text of the answer given to him by the Department of Finance or the Department of Industry, but to rise and answer the question, which I will ask very slowly and simply. Is the statement on page 242 of the budget, “Upgrades to infrastructure at the University of Prince Edward Island will create over 300 jobs and inject about $30 million into the economy” accurate?