Mr. Chairman, I would like to draw the minister's attention to the following problem.
It can be difficult to fully appreciate the problems related to economic zones if one is not personally familiar with the affected area. My riding is called Madawaska—Restigouche. Some of my constituents live in the Madawaska region, while others live in the Restigouche region. Some people are penalized not because of where they work, but because of where they live. There are people who live in the Madawaska region, but who work in the Restigouche region. However, those who both live and work in the Restigouche region enjoy benefits that those who live in the Madawaska region could loose if the pilot project is not granted permanent status, or if the economic zones are not redefined. I have already sent a letter to the department making the suggestion. I argued that people should not be penalized because of which of our riding two regions they choose to call home. Some really good work was done on this matter by the previous liberal government and, in particular, by my predecessor, after the 2000 election.
Minister, I would invite you to come to my riding to see the situation for yourself. The main industry in our riding is forestry, and people have to work in factories. Some of my constituents have to travel for work, and they could find themselves disadvantaged if this pilot project is not renewed.