Mr. Speaker, the minister was right when he said that Canadians want to work. This is quite true, and the same applies to Quebecers.
In Matapédia-Matane, the rural riding which I represent, my constituents want to work, and there are no ifs or buts about it. They are prepared to work for hours and do anything at all to put bread and butter on the table for their children.
I have a question for the minister. But first, an example. In our area farmers cannot start sowing because there is still snow in some places, although it is quite warm here. In the forestry industry, working 12 weeks instead of 10 is almost impossible in some places. That means these people will go on welfare.
There is another point I would like to make. The BDCs which help small businesses create jobs seldom invest in venture capital. My question is this: Even if everybody wants to work, and I must say I agree with the minister, would it be possible to take a different approach in a rural riding like mine? Could we not give more power to the BDCs so they could help people in small businesses create jobs and provide work by investing more venture capital?