Thank you, Madam Chair.
As part of this discussion, I would like to put forward an idea that I like and is quite important to me. It is something I did a study on in my riding. It is also included in the Bloc Québécois's demands, in our budget expectations. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping to hear something along these lines this afternoon. We would like to see the government create regional funds to support local innovation. The important point here is that these would be projects carried out by and for the regions. We're talking about economic development and diversification geared towards the innovative secondary processing of Quebec's natural resources, particularly in the areas of electric vehicle batteries, aluminum, forestry, and agriculture and agri-food. We could even have a tax credit for people living in rural areas.
In its platform, the Bloc Québécois also talks about land development. The Bloc Québécois proposes to regionalize regional development programs by decentralizing Canada Economic Development and entrusting the money to regional funds that will enable the regions to manage their priorities independently. Decisions on the future of our regions must no longer be made from Ottawa, but in the regions. The purpose of a regional agency is to meet a regional need; it is more attuned to the realities of the areas it represents.
My question is for Ms. Brassard, from FedNor.
Would you agree that the decentralization of program funding could be more effective in meeting regional needs? Managing their own funds would enable the regions to make decisions together with the community, which would improve consistency and efficiency. We could do more than what is being done now.