Mr. Speaker, while in opposition the Prime Minister wrote the following to the Marine Workers Federation in 1990:
It is safe to say that most people recognize that something has to be done to create a much more competitive shipbuilding industry. The government should now, as they should have done long ago and indeed as they promised to do, take steps to alleviate the problem.
Almost nine years have passed since that letter was written and for six of those years he has been the Prime Minister.
Our shipbuilding industry is foundering on the shoals of government neglect and this Prime Minister refuses to act. The United States, Italy, France, Spain, Britain, Korea and China have shipbuilding strategies, but Canada does not.
We have the technology and we have the skilled workers. What we do not have is a federal government that is committed to the future of a Canadian shipbuilding industry. The Port of Halifax recently lost its bid for post-Panamax shipping business because of a lack of strong support and commitment by the federal government.
I call on the Liberal government to meet and work with the shipbuilding workers, unions and businesses to craft a strategy.