Francis Scarpaleggia

[Aerospace Industry, February 23rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. Yesterday the minister went to Mirabel with the Premier of Quebec to announce a project worth $725.6 million at Bell Helicopter.

Can the minister tell us what the federal government's role was in this announcement and exactly what the announcement means to the Mirabel region?

[Humanitarian Assistance, February 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in praise of a young Canadian, Stephanie Dotto, a resident of Kirkland, Quebec in my riding of Lac-Saint-Louis.

At age 15, Stéphanie learned about the terrible toll poverty and disease have taken on Malawi.

Stephanie's compassion for the plight of the people of Malawi inspired her to take action. In March 2003 after leading a community fundraising campaign, she accumulated enough money to buy plane tickets to Malawi for herself and her father. She took with her 1,000 physician travel packs put together by Health Partners International. Each pack contained enough medicine to treat one child or adult. She also brought toothbrushes, soccer balls, pencils and other staples to the improve the lives of children in Malawi.

In May 2004, she returned to Malawi with more supplies and worked in a village hospital.

Now a nursing student, Stephanie has pledged to return to Malawi to put her newly acquired nursing skills to work.

For her service to others she was recently named West Islander of the Year 2004 by the West Island Chronicle .

Stephanie Dotto is a role model not only for young people, but for all Canadians.

[Veterans, December 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I too would like to join my other colleagues in paying my respects to the 14 women who were brutally murdered 15 years ago at École Polytechnique. I think what unifies all of us here is a desire to end violence. As today marks that 15th anniversary, we want to bring focus to the problem of violence against women, and urge the government to continue to do all it can to address this problem.

Before I begin my speech, I would like to refer to the Halifax explosion, which the hon. member for Sackville—Eastern Shore mentioned. It underscores a point which our colleague across the way from Saint-Jean raised. During wars not only are those who battle overseas affected, but those who remain in Canada are as well. The Halifax explosion is a graphic and poignant example of how war can touch us even though it is technically taking place overseas.

It is an honour for me to rise in this House and it is with great pleasure and pride that I do so today to participate in this debate on Motion M-190, sponsored by my hon. colleague from Tobique—Mactaquac, to establish a fund for the restoration of war monuments here in Canada.

My interest in this issue does not stem only from the fact that a number of veterans and their families live in my riding of Lac-Saint-Louis or that we have in our riding—and I point this out with great pride—the only federal veterans hospital in Canada, namely Sainte-Anne's Hospital, in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. In itself, this building is a sort of war monument, with its impressive architecture reminding everyone of the significant role Canada has played over decades in several international conflicts.

While these considerations did influence my decision to take part in today's debate, a greater motivation was the esteem I have for that generation of people who sacrificed themselves, in more ways than one, to defend our freedom and, thus, changed the course of our history, moving it toward freedom, peace and prosperity.

I was not only motivated to speak today bythe wonderful Remembrance Day celebrations that are held in my riding every year, which are extremely well attended and which garner the attention they deserve in the community and in the local media, I also was motivated by the great respect that I hold for the generation that made all manner of sacrifice to protect our freedom and democratic ideals, whether it was through their actual presence overseas or through various duties, military and civilian here in Canada.

It is worth mentioning that the generation that defended freedom in Europe in the second world war also lived through the greatest economic crisis our country and society have known, the Great Depression. One can only imagine what it must have been like to survive the stresses of that bleak economic period only to then be asked to make further sacrifice, to put one's life and career on hold to fight a military enemy.

It is out of profound respect for the members of that generation that I am speaking today, and I dedicate my remarks to them.

War memorials, and in this category I include not only cenotaphs but war cemeteries, such as the Field of Honour Cemetery in Pointe Claire in my riding, have in my view an important dual role to play in our society.

War memorials have an educational role. They are an educational vehicle, albeit a silent one, that can inspire Canada's teachers in many different ways.

Obviously war monuments reminds us of the specific dates of very specific events, events that future generations need to know about. They also force us to think about the related events sometimes that preceded a conflict itself or about the ideas and the ideologies that circulated at the time that may have led the way or prepared the intellectual groundwork for the conflict in question, or at least reinforced that conflict.

War monuments force us to think about economic history, social history and political history, about isolated personal events that have influenced, for good or for bad, the important decisions that leaders made that may have impacted one way or the other on a particular conflict and therefore on the course of history.

There are some who pessimistically contend that we never learn from history, that history fatefully repeats itself in an endless cycle of war, albeit using updated technologies. I do not believe this to be the case.

War memorials are important sign posts of history. They are a part of a system of historical memory and recollection that will, I am sure, now and into the future, perhaps in ways we will not immediately understand, lead us to better political decisions.

Creative educators in communities can take inspiration from war memorials in their midst to teach their young students about war and peace.

As I mentioned, my riding houses the Ste. Anne's Veterans Hospital. Again, it is not a war memorial per se and certainly not the kind of structure that is being addressed by the present motion. However, I should mention that this structure was created obviously for a practical purpose but was also motivated by a desire to honour our veterans. It is an imposing architectural structure and is probably the tallest building in my riding and in western Montreal.

I would like to mention the impact that structure has had on one particular educator in my riding and on his students in the community. Professor Bill Tierney is an English professor at John Abbott College located in the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue where the Ste. Anne's Veterans Hospital is also located. I should also mentioned that Mr. Tierney happens to be the mayor of the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

A few years ago he began teaching a course around the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. As a part of his English course, he asked his students after reading the book to do volunteer work at the hospital, namely to visit veterans and talk to them about their lives. Magically, some veterans began to talk about the war for the first time. No doubt these students today have had the benefit of great reflection on some of the major events of history and no doubt they are more thoughtful citizens as a result.

I believe that a focus on war memorials across Canada could unleash the same kind of creativity among our educators and the same kind of insight among our young people.

A second role that war memorials have is that they are a place of contemplation for anyone who passes by and takes the time to reflect. War memorials are windows into the historical soul of a nation and of humanity itself. Who has not stopped in front of a cenotaph to reflect on the misery of war, the misery of the trenches, the mud, the mustard gas, the pain, the loneliness and the suffering? Who has not walked away with the silent conviction that war is not the answer or that tyranny and the conflict that it creates is an unmitigated evil?

In preparing for my remarks today, I took it upon myself to read the latest novel by one of our great Canadian novelists, Jane Urquhart, entitled The Stone Carvers , a fictional work based loosely on the life of Toronto sculptor Walter Allward's Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France.

While I realize that the fund we are speaking about today is for war memorials in Canada only, I think a reference is warranted. I quote from the novel:

Allward took all of this in...the now distant pain of bereavement and lost youth...this huge white structure meant to be a memorial to grief, on the one hand, and a prayer for peace on the other.

I believe that all war memorials in Canada serve that kind of purpose.

This kind of contemplation, this kind of knowledge of history that war memorials give us, creates and nurtures a sense of duty in all of us, a sense that we must give, however modestly, back to our society, that we must make some effort from time to time to make this country a better place.

At a very basic but vital level for our democracy, I doubt that anyone who has had a chance to reflect seriously on the sacrifices our veterans made would want to forgo his or her right to vote. I believe that such a reflection can only reinforce one's sense of duty in that respect.

I would like to mention one of my constituents, a gentleman by the name of Robert Rushbrook, who fought, like the father of the hon. member from Saint-Jean, in the liberation of Holland. He told me the other day that the school children of Holland make a point every year of maintaining and taking care of the Canadian war cemetery in Holland and of the Commonwealth cemetery.

If school children across the ocean can pay that kind of respect to those Canadians who fell in battle liberating them at the end of the second world war, then it is incumbent upon us to make the funds available to pay the same kind of homage here in Canada to our veterans and to those who fell in battle.

[United Nations, December 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

This week, the United Nations released a set of recommendations, 101 in all, drawn up by a panel of experts. These propose the most thorough reform to the UN since its creation in 1945.

Could the minister give us his opinion on this report?

[Third Language Broadcasters, December 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, foreign third language broadcasters such as Rai International and Zee TV can play a vital role in upholding Canada's multicultural values. The CRTC should allow these broadcasters into Canada, under certain conditions.

First, the CRTC should give preference to third language broadcasters that are Canadian or that enter into partnership with Canadian broadcasters. However, applications by foreign third language broadcasters should not be automatically rejected just because a cultural community is already being served in its own language.

Second, the CRTC should require that same language services be bundled together by cable and satellite providers so that new entrants into the third language market will not reduce the revenues of existing players.

Third, the CRTC should urge the federal government to create a third language programming fund into which television service providers would invest a portion of the revenues they receive from foreign third language broadcasters. This money would be used to fund the production of third language programming in Canada.

[Supply, November 16th, 2004]

Mr. Chair, I am very pleased to take part in this debate in support of the estimates of the Department of Canadian Heritage, a very important department for the Canadian economy as well as for Canadian culture.

Exchange is all about sharing ideas and sharing ideas creates mutual understanding. Mutual understanding leads to cooperation and unity. Unity is good for our country, but on a broader scale unity is good for the progress of humanity.

As politicians we are necessarily concerned with society, with life in this country at the macro level. We speak of society often in abstract terms which is necessary of course if we are to grasp the complicated issues we must deal with as elected representatives and if we are to develop broad policies aimed at the country as a whole.

Underlying politics, well below the radar of the media and far from the headlines, is what someone once called the poetry of private relationships. As individuals we are all affected by philosophical trends and intellectual fashions, by the pronouncements of opinion leaders and by the values we see reflected in the mass media, in arts and culture and so on, but our individual viewpoints are also profoundly affected by our informal interactions with other individuals.

I, and I am sure many others, have heard countless stories of individuals whose political viewpoint experienced a profound shift following an intense discussion with another individual. Conversely, we know of cases where people's viewpoints have turned inward as a result of negative interaction with other individuals, perhaps individuals who were not sensitive to the person's language or cultural background.

We all know the apocryphal, now it seems, story of Jacques Parizeau who boarded a train in Montreal in the 1960s, travelled across Canada and disembarked at Vancouver. He has recounted this story often. He embarked as a federalist in Montreal and disembarked in Vancouver as a separatist. One has to wonder what interaction took place on that train. One has to wonder how the course of history would have changed if Mr. Parizeau had travelled to Vancouver with a group of young western Canadian exchange students coming back from two weeks in Quebec. Maybe the course of Canadian history would have changed.

By way of example of the positive impact of exchanges between individuals, especially youth of different backgrounds, can have, I would like to take members back to Montreal in the 1960s, a time of some division and a difficult time. At that time we still had two solitudes. The mood was tense between those who were anglophone and those who were francophone.

It was around 1965 when a young school teacher of about 39 years of age, who I am proud to say is one of my constituents today, came up with a pilot project whereby he convinced schools and school boards to allow students from a francophone school to spend two weeks in an anglophone school and vice versa to see what would happen.

This experiment was a great success. As a matter of fact Le Devoir devoted a newspaper article to this pilot project by Mr. Robert Kouri who is now a retired school teacher in Montreal. The headline at the time read, “Une expérience scolaire démontre que la co-existence amicale est possible”.

Perhaps the most inspiring result of that pilot project and the exchanges that followed is the fact that some 40 years later Mr. Kouri told me that those students who met at a very young age in these cross-cultural encounters still continue to stay in touch today and get together regularly.

The point of all this is to say that individual encounters and exchanges, and the quality of those encounters and exchanges matter. The magic that occurs through this process of cultural exchanges is not usually the stuff of newspaper headlines, notwithstanding the Le Devoir headline regarding Mr. Kouri's project. In fact, the process of creating friendships is somewhat commonplace.

However, we can never underestimate the power of individual bonds among different cultural and language groups, bonds that are replicated a million times over. We can never underestimate their power to be the glue that keeps a society together during the difficult moments in history. In fact, this House is built on the premise that an exchange of ideas will have a lasting benefit for society through the collaborative relationships that are created here.

I remember when I first came to Parliament Hill in 1993 as a staffer, it was a watershed Parliament. For the first time we had established parties and then we had a brand new party from western Canada with brand new members and a brand new message. We had basically a brand new party from Quebec with brand new members. If one looks back at that time, there was a certain degree of mistrust. People did not know each other, did not know where they were coming from, and did not know what to expect.

Over the course of MPs from different parties working together collaboratively on committees and travelling with those committees all over Canada to solve practical problems of interest to Canadians, one could see the bonds of mutual understanding, respect and even friendship forming, friendships and bonds which are all the more important in this minority Parliament.

The exchange programs sponsored by the Department of Canadian Heritage are an expression of the need in this country to foster encounters among Canadians, and the younger the better, from different regions and provinces.

Every year the department offers 25,000 exchange opportunities to young Canadians. Just think, Mr. Chair, 25,000 exchanges per year. Over four years we are talking about 100,000 exchanges. Over 10 years we are talking about 250,000 exchanges. I think we know what that means in a country with a population of 35 million. That is a high proportion of people getting together to share experiences and forming lasting bonds. These exchanges over time can change the outlook, the culture and the voting patterns of a country.

Exchange programs sponsored by the Department of Canadian Heritage do more than just establish permanent and life-changing relationships between individuals coming from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds; they also help shape the leaders of tomorrow , the young people of today who will take over and become leaders in various fields.

Take for example the Canadian International Model United Nations sponsored by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Last year some 700 young people met for one week in Ottawa to discuss international issues. Each one had to represent a country and discuss important issues faced by that country. They had to do in-depth research for three to four months on the issues faced by the country they represented. A program like that one is fantastic and helps young people understand the qualities a leader must have.

Those who were in the Montreal area in July may have been lucky enough to see the 200 000 young people who took part in the National Heritage Fairs organized by the Historica Foundation. Thanks to the financial support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, young people aged 10 to 14 were able to share their stories with other children. You should have seen how creative they were just in the way they were telling those stories.

The Canadian social fabric is made of sharing, sharing common values and sharing differences.

I have a question for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. We know that such programs are beneficial for a large number of young people and of course for our country in the long term. How does she intend to make sure that an even greater number of young people have access to such programs and are interested in them? It is often the best students who apply, students who are ambitious in their schoolwork and in their extracurricular activities . How can the minister assure us here tonight in this House that everything will be done so that these programs are accessible to all students and all young Canadians? Our country will be build not only by the best students, but by the young persons and the leaders of tomorrow.

[Competition Act, November 16th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak in support of Bill C-19 which amends the Competition Act.

We know that competition is central to our economy. Our economy can only flourish if the spirit of competition is followed and if all businesses in the economic system follow the rules of the game.

Indeed, Canadians, as well as citizens in other jurisdictions, hold very dearly to the principle of accountability, not only as it applies to government institutions but as it applies to the private sector as well. Canadians want to see accountability and transparency in their dealings with private businesses as well as with governments.

Competition law is not something that Canadians think about every day. I would be prepared to grant that. However, the idea of competition is an ingrained concept among all citizens. All citizens, whether they understand the details of competition law, know when they are being fairly treated in the marketplace. Competition policy and law is about ensuring fair treatment. Citizens may not know all the arcane details about competition law, but they know when they are being fairly treated and when they are not being fairly treated.

Bill C-19 is framework legislation that is part of a continuing process to ensure that the Competition Act and the bureau remain effective in a rapidly changing global economy. There have been many international comparisons of competition bureaus and competition regimes across international jurisdictions. I lament the fact that our own competition regime sometimes has come up a bit lacking. I believe this bill will help to rectify that problem.

Globalization, deregulation and the growth of the Internet have profoundly affected our competition regime. We must ensure that our legislation keeps pace with these changes. Much of what is in Bill C-19 began with the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology and its 2002 report entitled “The Plan to Modernize Canada's Competition Regime”.

The committee suggested a wholesale reform of Canada's competition policy, including strengthening the act's civil provisions, repealing the criminal pricing provisions, and returning the act to a law of general application by repealing the airline specific provisions which had been inserted not long ago as a result of a particular situation that existed in the airline industry two or three years ago. The committee recommended that we repeal the airline specific provisions and add them to a general regime with sufficient deterrence to achieve compliance. Bill C-19 does that and more.

Let me begin with the proposal for restitution. Bill C-19 would provide a restitution remedy for consumers affected by false or misleading advertisements. As a consumer I welcome this change and think it is about time Canadians had access to remedies similar to those of their American counterparts.

All Canadians are consumers; all of us as members of Parliament are consumers. We often have encounters with retailers or businesses where we feel we have not been properly treated or we feel that the service we have been given has not really justified the price we are paying for a particular product. For example, we could go to a retail store and, as happened to me recently, come back and find that the wrong product had been put in the packaging. Then we have to make the return trip to the outlet where we are given the right product. However, there is no restitution. There is no sense that we have been compensated for the loss of our time.

I believe that Bill C-19, in a parallel fashion, by instituting remedies when consumers have been the victims of false advertising, really gives consumers the sense of satisfaction that businesses are responding to them and that the economy is functioning properly.

There can be all the competition law that we want, but if consumers do not feel that at the end of the day there is some kind of restitution, then they really lose faith in the system. I think this is one of the important aspects of this bill and we must recognize it.

We are talking about the administrative monetary penalties, AMPs. In the case, for example, of misleading advertising but also in cases of abuse of dominance, it is important to realize that the competition tribunal would decide the matter, not the bureau which acts as prosecutor in such cases. Oftentimes there is confusion between the tribunal and the bureau. Having a general AMP regime in place as opposed to provisions specific to one industry will ensure a level playing field among all participants in all sectors. It would also provide a significant incentive to comply with the act.

Under this new provision, the maximum amount for an AMP would be $10 million for the first order and $15 million for each subsequent order. Bill C-19 takes a balanced approach. It includes a list of factors for the tribunal to take into account when making an order for the payment of AMPs.

Another proposed amendment is the repeal of the airline specific provisions. These provisions are no longer necessary. The airline market is much more competitive than it was two or three years ago when these airline specific provisions were included.

I wish to say again that the Canadian aviation industry has changed a lot since Air Canada's merger with Canadian Airlines. For example, Air Canada's domestic market shares have drastically declined. We have also seen the creation and growth of discount carriers, like WestJet, the increasing role of the Internet as a ticket distribution vehicle and a change in the role of travel agencies. These airline specific provisions achieved their purpose.

The 2002 Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology's report recommended that these provisions be repealed and replaced by a general system that would provide a sufficient deterrent to ensure compliance. This is exactly what the bill is aiming to do with the introduction ofthe AMP, or administrative monetary penalty, system.

We already have an AMP system under the deceptive marketing practices of the Competition Act. However, the existing limits for AMPs are not considered appropriate anymore, because they are not proportional to the earnings that businesses can derive from deceptive marketing practices. Bill C-19 proposes an increase of the maximum penalties to $750,000 for individuals. For businesses, it would be between $10 million and $15 million for each subsequent order.

This modification would promote compliance with the act and serve as a deterrent for deceptive marketing practices.

The last amendment in Bill C-19 relates to the criminal pricing provisions of the Competition Act. These pricing provisions deal with price discrimination, geographic price discrimination, predatory pricing and promotional allowances.

They are all criminal practices at the moment and must be addressed in the context of very high criminal burden of proof which of course is a problem because in many cases it is very difficult to prove that these practices have occurred. What is proposed here is to have these matters addressed under the civil regime of abuse of dominance. In other words, pricing complaints would be reviewed under the abuse of dominant position where AMPs, administrative monetary penalties, would be available. The industry committee, in its 2002 report, had recommended the repeal of the criminal pricing provisions and Bill C-19 reflects the committee's concerns.

Bill C-19 is a well thought initiative which is aimed at encouraging compliance with the Competition Act and deterring anti-competitive behaviour. It contains a balanced package of legislative amendments that address both the interests of consumers, and small and large businesses. For this reason, I would advise all members to join me in supporting this important legislation.

[Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec Act, November 5th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has been working with the provinces for decades, even before my colleague's party was first formed.

Having said that, I sincerely believe, and this is my personal opinion, that no individual or government has a monopoly on ideas. The more ideas we have and the more analysis we do, the better. In my opinion, it is in this spirit that the federal government is working with the Province of Quebec.

I noted that some of my colleagues on the other side of the House had a tendency to wander off topic when they were talking about Mirabel and other matters a little while ago. I would therefore appreciate if my colleagues would stick to the subject of today's debate, which is an act to establish the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

[Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec Act, November 5th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I find strange some of the comments made by my colleague, who claims that many investments made by the federal government in his region have had a negative impact. His math is foreign to me.

Let me tell you briefly about Canada Economic Development's activities in the Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine region as of October 6, 2004; there were 62 financial projects totalling $14.1 million. Where is the negative impact here? If we were to talk to the stakeholders my colleague claims to speak for, would these people agree with him that there is a negative impact there?

Most of the 62 projects I mentioned came under the emerging initiatives and development of medium-sized enterprises components. This means that we invest in emerging technologies, which is good for the future of this region. Again, I do not see how investing in the future could have a negative impact. I have a hard time understanding some of my colleague's remarks.

[Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec Act, November 5th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to speak today in connection with the bill on the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

Our government has set itself the objective of ensuring the success of Canadians in each and every region of our country. Its intention is to support our fellow citizens, as far as is possible, in the realization of their aspirations for prosperity and an enhanced quality of life.

This is the context within which the Economic Development Agency of Canada fulfills its mandate to promote the economic development of the regions of Quebec. To that end, it pays particular attention to all the regions of Quebec, especially those with a slower growth rate and insufficient jobs for the size of their population.

In my capacity as a member of Parliament, I have had the opportunity to see for myself the work done by the agency to ensure the regional economic development of Quebec and improve its residents' quality of life. The agency has, for instance, made the financial commitment to provide over $1.02 billion for 2,116 projects during 2003-04. When investments from other funding bodies are factored in, the total value of these projects represents an injection of over $3.9 billion into the economy of the various regions of Quebec.

What is more, these projects have contributed to the creation, conversion or maintenance of close to 13,700 jobs in all of the regions of Quebec, regions such as Chaudière-Appalaches, where $60,000 from Economic Development Canada has enabled Soliroc Metal to enhance its productivity. With this financial assistance, the company was able to acquire more efficient equipment, and as a result to raise its productivity by 60%.

This is one example of the kind of projects Canada Economic Development has supported, which have highly positive economic spinoffs for the competitive position of a company, thereby enabling it not only to continue to grow, but also to play a vital role within its community.

In the region of Quebec, the National Optics Institute received a $3.6 million contribution from Canada Economic Development to implement an agro-photonic research program. The purpose of this research campaign is to bring together two major industries in the region, namely agro-processing and optical photonics technologies.

Canada Economic Development wanted to support this regional initiative because it has consolidated the institute's leading position in the industry and paved the way for various economic development projects in many regions of Quebec.

In the Lower St. Lawrence, the marine biotechnology research centre was set up with a contribution of $7.6 million from Canada Economic Development. To carry out its work, the centre plans to create 24 direct jobs and 75 spin-off jobs. In addition, the centre's activities will bring top researchers to the region to set up new companies.

I should add that these research facilities are a priority to the people of the Lower St. Lawrence. This is why Canada Economic Development wanted to be involved in carrying out this project as part of its commitment to support initiatives that best respond to the needs of the public and that target the strength of the region. These projects contribute to solidifying the economic development opportunities in the regions that welcome them and other regions in Quebec.

These examples show what Canada Economic Development does. They also show that the agency attaches a high level of importance to the promotion of innovation throughout Quebec. This priority stems from our government's commitment to building the robust and innovative economy that we all want for our country in the 21st century.

The projects I mentioned illustrate Canada Economic Development's goal to strengthen the niches of excellence specific to each region of Quebec.

In all, in 2003-04, the agency invested $54.6 million in 739 innovative projects in Quebec. These investments have led to the creation, transformation or maintenance of 4,796 jobs. Furthermore, even the promoters have said that without the financial support of Canada Economic Development, 55% of the projects would never have materialized.

In order to foster a culture of innovation in the regions of Quebec, Economic Development Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada contributed $3.6 million to the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue in order to take part in an important research project aimed at developing a new beef product that meets consumers’ more demanding requirements.

Once again, I would like to say that this project came about through an initiative of regional cattle producers and researchers. Besides creating 34 jobs, this initiative should translate into a 15% to 20% increase in profits for the industry. As I pointed out earlier, the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec also supports communities in their efforts to focus on their strengths and take charge of their development.

The agency's goal is to promote public interest initiatives that could have a significant impact at the regional level as well as generate a ripple effect on regional economic activity. The agency works with a network of partners that includes 57 community futures development corporations, 15 community economic development corporations and 9 business development centres.

For the 2002-03 fiscal year, the various projects that received loans from community futures development corporations generated $135 million in regional investments. These loans amounted to some $45 million. The nine business development centres were involved in 222 investment projects and 570 technical assistance files.

It is in the context of the partnership between the Economic Development Agency of Canada and Quebec's network of community futures development corporations, that the AFER program, designed to help women entrepreneurs in rural areas, was implemented. This pilot project consisted in establishing a financial assistance fund to stimulate women's entrepreneurship in rural areas. The twelve community futures development corporations participating in this initiative represented the Gaspé, Magdalen Islands, lower St. Lawrence, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, North Shore, Saguenay, Mauricie, Chaudières-Appalaches and Montérégie regions. So far, the AFER program has assisted 93 women entrepreneurs and has contributed to the creation of 31 businesses and 60 jobs in various Quebec regions.

The Fonds AFER Canada is indicative of the Government of Canada's desire to foster greater participation of women in the overall economy of the Quebec regions and in the efforts to diversify the development opportunities in the various communities of Quebec.

As I mentioned a few minutes ago, the Economic Development Agency of Canada is active in all Quebec regions.

For example, the agency promoted the Entreprises rurales Nord-du-Québec initiative. In this project, Economic Development Canada gives $50,000 annually to the Chapais-Chibougamau, Matagami and Eeyou Economic Group CFDCs to help them sustain activities that they could not have financed within their mandate.

The CFDCs were able to support eight new business projects only in the last six months or so and, thanks to this funding, many local business people will be able to enlarge their market share and increase their revenues. In other words, they will create wealth in their region and their fellow citizens will benefit.

I would like to remind the members of the House that the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec also helps Quebec's municipalities renew their infrastructure.

The purpose of this part of the agency's mandate is to help Quebec's communities to maintain their capacity to attract businesses, and to improve their citizens' quality of life.

Through the Canada-Quebec Infrastructure Works program, which entrusted to Economic Development Canada the management of the projects, the Government of Canada contributed a total amount of $463 million to the realization of 867 projects, from the beginning of the program in 2000 to March 31, 2004.

Thanks to all those different projects, 484,408 Canadian families have already had or will have access to municipal waterworks providing better quality drinking water.

Also, almost 5,950 families will be hooked up to a proper municipal sewer and wastewater treatment system. And 260 communities will benefit from the construction or improvement of sports or cultural facilities.

During the last few years, the Canadian government has often stated its commitment to build a strong Canadian economy for the 21st century, an economy that creates quality jobs and equal opportunities for all individuals and regions in Canada.

The Economic Development Agency of Canadafor the Regions of Quebec accepts fully this goal, as the bill before us shows. The agency also plays an active role in the implementation of the broad economic priorities of the government in the whole province of Quebec, and its many good results speak for it.