Mr. Speaker, while the government is still in the process of making up its mind in the matter of the construction of the Magdalen Islands ferry, it was announced that 300 MIL Davie workers will be laid off on Friday. These 300 workers will join the ranks of the 200 who were recently laid off. It should be pointed out that, in 1992, the shipyard employed over 3,700 workers; by Christmas, only 400 will be left.
Does the Minister of Transport recognize that with the laying-off of an additional 300 workers, it becomes urgent for the government to make up its mind if the last major shipyard in Quebec is to survive?