Mr. Chair, the reality is the reality. If the government didn't plan to develop the resources, why exactly did it carry out an assessment? That's what I want to know.
Now, let's get back to a very important point, the fact that this government empowered itself to do what the provinces were already doing. It's duplicating the process that is already taking place. As far as we're concerned—this is the point I was making, and the member for Joliette will no doubt agree—the experts at the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement du Québec are just as skilled as the environmental experts in Ottawa. They are experts, so why do the work twice, if not to delay projects?
Goodness knows that, as we speak, we need green energy and we need hydroelectric projects. The matter is currently being debated in Quebec society, and that's a good thing. Although I stay out of matters that fall under provincial jurisdiction, I must say that I would welcome Quebec building more hydroelectric dams and enhancing its incredible hydroelectric capacity. The very nature of our territory—our geography, our waters—gives us the good fortune of having rivers that fuel this tremendous energy, and so much the better.
Why, then, is Ottawa getting mixed up in things that are none of its business? Unless we build a dam on the St. Lawrence Seaway, it doesn't concern Ottawa—not that I think there would ever be a dam on the St. Lawrence Seaway, anyway. I'm sure the member for Joliette would agree.
We see the federal government's insatiable appetite to interfere in matters that are none of its business. From where we stand, being in a confederation means respecting every province's desires and aspirations for development, in keeping with the Canadian Constitution—and that's how it should be.
Bear in mind that in the forties and fifties, when Quebec undertook large-scale studies and projects to develop its hydroelectric capacity, Ottawa got involved. We have to recognize that, at the time, the provincial authorities were also—