What I understand is that the party in power does not have time to waste studying the question of the manufacturing industry. I am very surprised and sorry to hear that. I will not go over it again. Talking about a crisis in the manufacturing sector primarily caused by foreign competition would be a waste of time when trade laws need to be revised? We are sitting on the Standing Committee on International Trade and I am being told that there is no time to study this. I find this hard to understand.
The motion presented to the Standing Committee on Finance is not the same as this one. I have the motions before me. The motion made by Paul Crête at the Standing Committee on Finance talks about Technology Partnerships Canada and certain programs. At the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, it talks about the assistance program for older workers. That is not what we are talking about today, we are talking about international trade. That is the issue before us.
The crisis in the manufacturing sector in relation to foreign trade is a matter of concern to opposition members. You are telling us that this is not an issue, that we are going to talk about Canada-Korea free trade, which with have further impact on the manufacturing sector, and that we are not going to discuss the existing issues? Quebec has lost 150,000 jobs, and the rest of Canada has lost almost as many — I don't know how many — and we are going to talk about the weather? Is that what you're concerned about, as a government?
I'm sorry, but I don't agree with you. I think that this motion is a matter of priority for the committee and that we should vote on it.