Mr. Speaker, I put my question to the Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec.
It pertains to Opération Dignité II . Representatives from this organization came to Ottawa to raise awareness among government members, because they felt their message was not getting through. They are from rural areas. I do not understand. Governments change, we had the Conservatives, and now the Liberals who were here also before the Conservatives, but the rural areas are more and more dependant on UI and welfare.
Now, unemployment insurance is being cut. Years ago, the Eastern Quebec Development Bureau spent millions of dollars to close small parishes. Instead of creating employment they went out of their way to close villages. Fortunately some people in those places took things into their own hands. There was the first Operation Dignity, the Ralliement populaire -a citizens' coalition, and the creation of corporations to pool woodlots, the pooling of resources by land owners.
There were many demonstrations in the streets under the banner of the Ralliement populaire and we were able to get a plant, Panval de Sébec. People managed to keep open the parish of Sainte-Paule which was scheduled to close. I invite you, Mr. Speaker, as well as the minister of regional development, to come and visit this parish which took hold of its own destiny.
Other municipalities did the same thing. But governments do not seem to have any political will, they seem to be trying to turn the Gaspé Peninsula into a huge park. It is harder for us to get a bit of money for a slaughterhouse than it is for Hibernia to get billions. And all this money might not be bring a good return on
investment, while a few dollars for a slaughterhouse in our area would make sure that our beef would stay in our region, instead of going to Montreal or Toronto on the hoof and coming back as meat.
What was done over the last twenty years? Millions are spent on unemployment while we are just asking for a few thousand, a few million maybe, to produce finished products, but we are being refused. That is the reason why I was not at all satisfied with the minister's answer. I have this second chance, and I am sure that the parliamentary secretary will give me his vision of rural life. The minister promised he would come to my riding next summer. He said so on the 17th, when I invited him to come and talk to the residents of the Gaspé Peninsula.