Minister, you said that the Bloc Québécois had called for a program for older workers and that you had answered that call. However, the program you put forward in your budget is not at all what we were calling for, nor does it meet the needs of the many older workers in Quebec who have lost their jobs.
I'd like to come back to the $1 billion trust you set up to help the manufacturing and forestry sectors. The vast majority of jobs in these sectors were lost in the past two years in Ontario and quite noticeably in Quebec, particularly in the forestry sector.
You set up a trust to help each of these provinces on a per capita basis. Witnesses have told us that your proposed assistance amounts to around $2,000 per job lost in Ontario and Quebec, and $20,000 in Alberta.
Minister, considering that Quebeckers pay federal taxes in the same way as all other Canadians, is it fair to Quebec workers who have paid their taxes to get $2,000 per job lost, while Alberta gets $20,000 per job lost?