Thank you.
I am very pleased to give an answer to the hon. member. First, I want to thank her for confirming that my figures are accurate. I might add that she could not have said that they were not. In any case, I am very pleased because it confirms that we are telling the truth.
I could mention other examples, other incidents which have occurred in the context of the federal government versus Quebec or the United States. I agree that we have a free trade arrangement, but still. Earlier, I referred to the Federal Office of Regional Development. Where did it invest in industry? It invested many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some people asked me not to raise this issue. The office invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a given Quebec industry, yet the federal government simply turns around and, for a comparable or similar price, buys in the United States.
I can tell you about this issue because I was involved in it. I said: Wait a minute; did this industry have an opportunity to bid? We are talking about a Quebec industry from my region, in which the federal government invested-listen to this-hundreds of thousands of dollars for research and development. If the federal government does not buy in Quebec but buys elsewhere in Canada, I say fine.
These are examples of duplication and mismanagement. I am telling you about what I know to be true, about what is really going on. The figures I mentioned are the actual figures.
I want to say something further about the industrial situation. In my riding, we have what is called BDCs, business development centres, which can also be found, I am sure, in other ridings as well. With $5,000, I can create a job. And if some people can deny this, I will listen to what they have to say, but I know that with $5,000, I can create one job. At the federal level, the infrastructure program needs $100,000 to create just one job. Did you hear that? With $5,000, I can create one job, but the federal government needs $100,000 in its infrastructure program to create just one job. This is quite a difference. In fact, it is a $95,000 difference to create just one job, since we go from $5,000 to $100,000. I thought I would just mention these figures.
Madam Speaker, you are indicating that I have two minutes left. I will take what time I have left to stress how important Bill C-46 is.
I do not want people to think that I criticize all the time. That is not my role. My role is to make suggestions, to ensure that there is some openness, but you, on the other side of the House, also need to show that you are open-minded. That is how we will be able to harmonize some of the various programs and initiatives.
The hon. member said earlier that I was very good at quoting statistics and that she could not deny these figures. I know she cannot deny them, I am not crazy!
Do you understand what we want? The hon. member recognized earlier that for the last nine years the situation has not been fair. I said so myself earlier. I always come back to the same example: it is important for a father with three or four children to treat them all equally. By treating his children fairly and equally, he avoids creating any type of quarrel.
I used some figures earlier. I understand what Quebec wants. I have seen other industries in Western Canada receiving millions of dollars in subsidies to gain access to Quebec's market, while Quebec's own industries were not receiving one penny for exactly the same products.
Madam Speaker, on the issue of fairness, let me give some advice: Render unto God what is God's and unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and everybody will be happy.