Mr. Speaker, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador rely on Marine Atlantic. It is a critical transportation link that our people and our economy cannot live without. Yet in the main estimates the government showed a cut of $97 million in operating funding to Marine Atlantic. This is unacceptable to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
The federal government has a clear obligation to protect this ferry service under our terms of union. Will the minister ensure that this budget has full funding for Marine Atlantic?