Mr. Chairman, I'd simply like to make a few comments on this motion.
A request is being made to increase funding, but no long-term solution is being provided for the forestry sector or workers. The forest industry is currently in transformation. Some ways of doing things will change. Better equipment will no doubt enable these people to work. They will also have to get training in order to learn how to operate the new equipment. New equipment often enables workers in this sector to be more productive, but it inevitably takes away their jobs. That's sad, but that's the way it is.
So some of these workers may have to change industries. In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, for example, 30% of workers are turning toward the mining industry. The service industries, which manufacture a lot of equipment for the manufacturing and forestry sectors, are now making equipment for the mining industry. Workers have been able to take development training and have benefited from the new equipment, which has enabled them to change industries.
I'd like to make a comment on labour displacement, to which Mr. Lessard referred. In my riding, people 60 years old came to see me to tell me they wanted to venture off to western Canada for a year or two. They asked me whether I thought that was a good idea. I told them they were free to go if they wanted to do so. In Canada, every individual has a right to work where he or she wishes. No government wants to uproot people here and there. The decision to leave and work in western Canada for a year or two is a personal choice. I believe you'll agree on that.
Are these people unhappy? They came to see me again, and they're very happy. Sixty-year-olds often want to work. They form a highly skilled and very much appreciated labour force because they have the necessary skills, which they can transmit to future generations. Are they well supported there? The answer yes. Are they well housed? Yes, because companies often house these workers. As regards wages, they all told me that one month's wages was equivalent to three months' wages in Quebec. They're very happy and that's enabling them to build a little nest egg for their retirement.
You shouldn't think that workers are stuck in a situation. Some workers, as a result of their leadership, will find solutions. They'll find solutions for their industry because they're close to the resource. They no doubt have the best ideas for improving their fate. We must give them the tools and permit the development of a future plan that will no doubt save the forest industry in Canada. It's these people who will do it. It's not by investing money or waiting for the situation to resolve itself. The leadership will come from the regions, and the government is fully confident in all these competent people who live there. That will guarantee a prosperous future for all the regions and Canada.