Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Finance, responsible for regional development in Quebec.
The Prime Minister asked us to find good reasons to vote Yes in the referendum, and here is another one. Research and development is a fundamental tool for developing the economy and employment in Quebec. Ever since statistics became available, Quebec has never had its fair share of federal spending in this area.
Will the Minister of Finance, who is responsible for regional development in Quebec, admit that the federal government has done nothing in the past two years to redress a long standing injustice with respect to research and development in federal laboratories, which leaves Quebec with a meagre 15.8 per cent of the R&D budget although it represents 25 per cent of the population?