Mr. Speaker, when I say "sons of darkness", I mean "sons in darkness", which is to say who cannot see clearly. That is what I meant.
I hope that is in order, because obviously what was meant is a lack of clarity, and I do not think that was insulting to my colleagues.
Today, aside from the infrastructures project, there is nothing for rural communities. The people in my riding and other Quebec ridings no longer believe in federalism. Conservative and Liberal governments are always hand in glove with the multinationals. They will never go along with the principle of individual political donations, so there is always a quid pro quo : I contribute to the party's coffers and you invest in my company.
To hell with rural communities! To hell with planning corporations! To hell, or almost, with the plan for Eastern Quebec! To hell with the poor! Hurray for the rich! And above all, do not touch family trusts. Do not touch the multinationals. Many do not pay taxes. Many companies manage to avoid paying taxes.
Friends are friends. The Minister of Finance has the nerve to tell us to wait till 1996-97 to see any benefits as a result of his budget. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you this: people do not have time to sit there waiting for the dreams of a Minister of Finance to materialize.
When in my riding and other ridings, farms are auctioned off, and there are farms for sale practically every week, do you know what happens afterwards? The forest starts taking over. Rural communities die off gradually. Our farm workers are earning less than they did ten years ago. I have a lot of people in my riding, who are earning less than they did back then. The middle class is becoming the under class, and the poor in my riding are going to the local soup kitchen. All this is heartbreaking.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel, no political will, no social vision; there are no enlightened solutions. Rural communities are worried, and they are concerned.