Very well.
Minister, I do not want to blame the interpreters, but the Bloc Québécois fully agrees that Quebec should manage this program and that the municipalities should deal directly with the Government of Quebec through the Department of Municipal Affairs which would, in turn, deal with its federal counterpart.
In any case, we will do what is needed so that the Government of Quebec may take action, in light of your response.
I would also like to get back to the issue of job transfers at Air Canada. You said that you had met with people from Air Canada, but, Minister, you must know that the Air Canada Public Participation Act, passed in 1988 under Prime Minister Mulroney, provided some guarantees as to jobs being maintained in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. That is mainly why Air Canada has the obligation to maintain headquarters within the Montreal urban community.
Section 6(1)(d) of the act provides that with respect to maintenance “provisions requiring the cooperation to maintain operational and overhaul centres”... In French, it says “centres d'entretien et de révision”.
Legislators do not come up with this off the top of their head. The words “Entretien et révision” means small maintenance jobs. According to my understanding of the word “overhaul”, and I am not as bilingual as you are—I say that with a touch of irony—the work carried out in Winnipeg, Mississauga and the Montreal urban community is far more significant than that. There are over 6,500 employees in these three operational centres, mainly in Montreal.
We know that Aveos has signed agreements on acquisitions in El Salvador, and according to the most recent rumours, perhaps even in Costa Rica.
Can Air Canada employees, and in particular highly competent Air Canada machinists, count on you keeping your word and thus forcing Air Canada to keep these jobs in Mississauga, Montreal and Winnipeg?