Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Finance who is also responsible for regional development in Quebec.
The red book emphasizes the importance of developing companies in high-tech sectors. The Liberal Party has promised to increase incentives for leading-edge industries. We were therefore amazed to hear that the government plans to revise and, in effect, weaken Bill C-91, the drug patent bill.
My question is this: How can the minister co-operate with the Minister of Industry on a strategy that will have a disastrous and devastating impact on brand-name manufacturers in the pharmaceutical industry who invest massively in research and development and are mainly located in the Montreal area, where the Minister of Finance has his riding?