Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I said this in the heat of the debate, and I apologize. I certainly would not be able to maintain this intensity when addressing the Chair.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to say to the hon. member that Employment and Immigration Canada, which has what could be an effective mechanism, called Self-Employment Assistance, decided, despite the unemployment rate we have in the Montreal area, to restrict the number of persons-I think it is 125 or 165-to be given assistance in starting a small business. However, it has been proven this option is effective. Throughout the Montreal area, we see people who have projects but often do not have enough money to make the initial investment. They lack a framework and need help in the start-up stage- I have done that sort of thing, and I know what I am talking about. There are a lot of people like that. Unfortunately, governments are only concerned about macro-economic policies and do not care about how jobs are created or lost. We have businesses closing that should not close, but they say these are lame ducks, and so forth. There is a lot of time and effort involved in starting a business, and sometimes all it takes is a few adjustments and some management restructuring. With a little more attention and assistance, far more could be done for these businesses.
As far as small businesses are concerned, I am looking after my riding and helping specific businesses, but the hon. member is not about to make me responsible for what a government should be doing, including the obligation to know what has to be done at the grass roots level.