Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague from Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier for his excellent speech on equalization and I want to ask him a question.
Earlier, on the calculation of equalization, my colleague referred to the value of Quebeckers' properties and the fact that the federal government has overvalued them. It is a terrible situation. Quebec has not always received equalization. For a long time, Quebec was not among those receiving equalization.
How did this happen? I want my colleague to clarify this a little. One of the reasons—and I want to know if he agrees—is that far too often the federal government has allowed Quebec's natural resources to be processed outside Quebec, in Ontario for the most part, which is terrible.
Now, when it comes time to discuss equalization, the Premier of Ontario washes his hands of it. He says Ontarians pay a great deal. In any event, he is not the one who pays. It is an equalization system that was established in the Canadian Constitution. It was set up at the time to get the provinces to accept the Constitution. That is how this happened.
Unfortunately, Quebec has now been drained of all its good jobs. Although Quebec is one of the largest producers of aluminum and magnesium in the world, the auto industry is disappearing from the province. The GM plant in Boisbriand closed, as did the parts manufacturing companies, what with the industrial cluster being set up in Ontario.
I could go on about other sectors where Canada allowed Quebec's natural resources to be processed elsewhere, often with support from federal aid programs. Just look at the latest instance, before the election, when $500 million was granted to the auto industry just after the GM plant closed in Boisbriand.
Now there will be a dispute over the fact that Quebec wants its fair share of equalization and its wealth to be calculated on true values. A problem is brewing in Canada. We can try to pass bills to solve it, but many Quebeckers know that the only way to get justice is to separate from this country.