Question: strange error using keyword argument passing.

I am stumped at this.

I made a proc A which takes arguments using keywords. When I call A directly, it works. When I pass the argument I want to call A with to another proc B, and then from B call A with that argument, it fails. Maple tells me that it missing arguments. Here is a MWE

restart;
procA := proc({the_equation::`=`:=NULL})
  print("it worked, you passed in ", the_equation);
end proc:

procB :=proc(the_equation)
  print("inside procB, the equation is ", the_equation);
  procA('the_equation'=the_equation); 
end proc:

Now, calling procA directly, works

the_equation:= y=3:
procA('the_equation'=the_equation);

              "inside procA, you passed in ", y = 3

But when caling procB, and then have procB call procA, the argument passed in is NULL

procB(the_equation);

                  "inside procB, the equation is ", y = 3
                 "inside procA, you passed in "  <=== WHY NULL?

I must be doing something wrong, I just do not see it.