I thank you for being here this afternoon. I apologize to those who were notified too late and who did not know that we had move our agenda forward slightly.
I would like to come back to the manufacturing sector. There is a fundamental difference in philosophy among the various Canadian economic stakeholders. The following question is not asked that often: are we abandoning the manufacturing industry? That is more or less what the government is doing. Today, we heard from members of a previous panel that if there are no more jobs in the manufacturing sector, all people have to do is to move to Alberta, because that's where jobs are.
On the one hand, you have the laisser-faire approach. This is the approach adopted by the government, which has decided to cut taxes. Mr. Laliberté clearly explained that lowering taxes in no way helps companies that are not profitable and are facing problems.
On the other hand, the Bloc Québécois believes that manufacturing remains at the heart of our economy. If we do not want our economy to collapse in 10 or 15 years, once the oil boom has passed and our natural resources have been depleted, we have to act now. Yesterday, the representatives of the Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce used the example of the Dutch disease effect. That is exactly what happened. When oil was discovered, the country rushed headlong into its extraction, and the manufacturing sector was left to self-destruct.
Mr. Laliberté, you said that you might have some potential solutions to propose to those who want to truly defend, develop and protect our manufacturing sector. What would you suggest to committee members?