Mr. Speaker, the only thing unprecedented is the cost. I said that there were 11 summits, all of them incredibly cheaper. In fact, London was 5,000% cheaper, just last year.
Clearly, the government does not get it. We are in a recession. Thousands of Canadians do not have jobs. The Conservatives have run up the biggest deficit in Canadian history. We cannot afford a $1 billion binge for 72 hours of meetings.
Now the public safety minister says that the costs are “very expensive” and asks whether “these types of meetings necessary”.
Why on earth did he not ask any questions before he signed off on $1 billion?