Mr. Speaker, all I can do is emphasize that we need to respect the fact that the Senate, as an independent body of this institution, is responsible for its budget and the issue of transparency and accountability with respect to it.
Through the House of Commons, the taxpayers have given the New Democrats, when they were the official opposition and today, literally millions of dollars to operate. On the Board of Internal Economy and in discussions among the different parties in the House, they talk at great length about what it should be and how it should be made accountable and transparent to taxpayers. A consensus is reached and it goes through.
I do not believe that the Senate calls that into question. The Senate does not ask why the NDP is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on this or hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on that.
I think we have to respect the independence of both chambers.