Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that today is the 50th anniversary of Hydro-Quebec, a Quebec company whose skills and expertise are now recognized throughout the world.
Remember that it was René Lévesque who gave Hydro-Quebec the impetus to become an essential tool for Quebec's economic development by providing work for thousands of Quebecers and generating billions of dollars in economic benefits.
Keep in mind as well that the energy produced by Hydro-Quebec is renewable and much cleaner than coal or nuclear power. The new challenges facing society today are soft energies and energy efficiency. We must encourage this option.
In closing, I would like to mention the historic agreement in principle reached yesterday between Hydro-Quebec and the Inuit of northern Quebec. We hope that this agreement marks a new partnership between the government owned corporation and native peoples.