Statement made on 22 November 2011 by Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette
Hon. Céline Hervieux-Payette:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Bill C-10, which the government is proposing to Canadians, is a very expensive bill. The government itself does not even know how to evaluate its budgetary impact. Let me explain. The government's official position is that it will cost $400 million over five years. The Parliamentary Budget Officer, Kevin Page, estimates that it will cost double that amount, $800 million. Our colleague, Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, believes that it could cost as much as $2.7 billion and, as though that were not enough, in the other place on September 27, the Minister of Justice, Rob Nicholson, had this to say about the members of the opposition, and I quote:
. . .they have it wrong if this is the area in which they want to save money.
What a fine example of the Conservatives' sound management of public funds. Now, since it is November and we are about to study the bill in this august institution, can the Leader of the Government tell us the real costs that will be downloaded to the provinces?
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