Auditor General's Report  As far as natural resources are concerned, Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General was referring to a specific case and, in fact, the government acted very quickly once the dispute was settled. As far as tax shelters are concerned, we have already said that everything was on the table and that we would take a long, hard look at all existing loopholes and exemptions.

Manpower Programs  Mr. Speaker, I feel that we are already with it because we intend to cut government spending by much more than $250 million by reducing overlap.

Human Resources  Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure what the exact question is but as I tried to outline to the hon. member I will be very glad to provide her with a full explanation of the measures. In the throne speech we detailed very specific commitments that are made in the red book for providing employment for young people and for the very serious problem of transition from school to work.

Auditor General's Report  Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that deficit reduction is a major priority of this government. There is no doubt that we share the views largely expressed by the Auditor General. We did so in a matter of weeks after taking office. There is no doubt, as well, as the Prime Minister said so well in his opening remarks that we are not going to get the deficit reduction unless we also understand that economics is about people and that this country needs jobs.

The Economy  The questioners through the leader of the Reform Party should know that only $2 billion of the $6 billion is coming from the federal treasury, so it will have reduced only the deficit of the federal government. This infrastructure program is a big success. The mayor of Calgary is very enthusiastic about this program, as are the mayors of Hamilton, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria, and Shawinigan, Quebec.

Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, we are willing to work with all the parties of this House to make sure that we find the cuts needed to reduce the deficit. The finance committee will be meeting very soon. The different committees will have the opportunity to look at the estimates of every department.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by congratulating my colleague on his first question before this House. As he knows, consultations are underway, in fact the most extensive ones ever carried out in this country regarding a budget. Within this framework, the Canadian people have told us that they wanted radical changes in many government programs, including taxation, and that is what we have set out to do.

Forestry Industry  Mr. Speaker, let me offer my personal congratulations and those of the constituency I represent, Thunder Bay-Nipigon. Our congratulations to you, Mr. Speaker, and our very best wishes. May I, on behalf of the people I represent, welcome you to visit with us in Thunder Bay at your earliest convenience.

Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the Leader of the Opposition once again that the government has a very clear program for deficit reduction and that the Minister of Finance will be tabling a budget next month. When the Minister of Finance met with his provincial counterparts and when I myself met with the provincial premiers in December, we made it very clear that we had no intention of reducing transfer payments to the provinces.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I move: That this House do now adjourn.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to congratulate you on your election to this office. You will prove yourself to be equal to the task of managing and overseeing the business of this House. On my behalf and on behalf of all the citizens of Madawaska- Victoria, kindly convey my respects to His Excellency the Governor General and Mrs.

House debate  moved: That, pursuant to Standing Order 104, the Standing Committee on House Management be appointed to prepare and report lists of members to compose the standing and standing joint committees of this House; and that the committee be composed of: Mrs. Ablonczy, Mrs. Bakopanos, Mr.

Public Accounts committee  To build on this success going forward, do you see perhaps a need to develop an emergency procurement protocol so that in case we have a global pandemic or something major happens, the government can have a different set of rules in terms of procurement that will protect the public interest and the integrity of the system?