Mr. Speaker, if we go back, I recommended that the member opposite actually look at our budget where he would see $2 billion for small communities, because we understand how important small communities are for the future of our country.
On the issue of merit-based appointments, we will not hold against any qualified candidate their background in politics. We know Canadians expect the very top qualified people to serve their country. That is what we look for. That is why we were proud to choose former Prime Minister Kim Campbell to help us choose our next—