Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court ruled that telecommunications was an area of federal jurisdiction. So the government is only abiding by the Canadian Constitution.
Will it be possible to make administrative arrangements to satisfy certain provinces which control some elements of the telephone service? I hope we will be able to do so but there is certainly no duplication in this area because the Supreme Court has recognized very clearly that telecommunications come under federal jurisdiction.
With respect to manpower, the Minister of Human Resources Development is still discussing with the provincial governments at this time. We hope we will be able to make arrangements if necessary and I am glad to see that not only Quebec but also other provinces want better arrangements, and we hope to work out some kind of accommodation. Of course, what will be good for western Canada will also be good for Quebec and vice versa, and I hope that if everyone simply looks at the problem rationally instead of using it for political confrontation, we will be able to find a reasonable solution.