Mr. Speaker, I have a very important question for my colleague. I appreciate his comments, but I want to ask him about a pattern of conduct in the government with respect to crown corporations of this kind.
Five or six years ago, I began raising the spectre of the privatization of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, and the government scoffed. That was before it sold it off at fire-sale prices to SNC-Lavalin, and now it is privatizing the management of our isotope production facility in Chalk River.
A second crown corporation in play now is Canada Post. It has been seriously weakened. A plan was put out by the PMO and rubber-stamped by Canada Post. Third is VIA Rail, which was cut by 15% last year.
My question for the member is very simple. We appear to be on the slippery slope to the privatization of a number of crown corporations. Can he help us understand what his perspective is in this regard? I ask because my constituents in Ottawa South are furious about these cuts.