Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to the hon. member's speech. Now, in this debate on conversion, I could not help making a little aside on Oerlikon, of course, which is a major company in my riding, and I will have a question for the hon. member.
Oerlikon is a pathetic situation. I admit, I also have a confession to make. At the time, I was in the peace movement and when Oerlikon came to Saint-Jean, even if it provided 700 jobs, what we foresaw as a long-term scenario is happening.
When a company stops making military equipment, very often it just closes down and moves elsewhere. Even if attempts at diversification have been made, and I will come back to that, the apocalyptic scenario which we feared is taking place in Saint-Jean. Perhaps parts will continue to be made for another year, to be stored in warehouses for future supply needs, but once that is over, I think that Oerlikon is likely to close.
At one time, it maintained a certain level of employment. In the riding, 735 jobs depended on Oerlikon, and now it is down to 325. When the contract ends, none will be left.
I remind you that Oerlikon produces low-altitude air defence systems, that is guns which can hit planes invading a territory. With the changed international situation, of course, these contracts are worthless. Although Oerlikon has made a big effort to sell a lot elsewhere in the world, I think that this equipment is no longer needed today. Only $90 million is left for the final year of operation of a $1-billion contract. Then nothing will be left.
I want to point out that unfortunately the federal government did not do its share when Oerlikon wanted to diversify. I thought that there was an attractive opening at the time. They wanted to diversify 25 per cent of their production to laser treatment for environmental protection. That was an interesting approach to diversification. Unfortunately, the federal government did not support it.
I agree with my hon. colleague on DIPP, but would the solution not be an industrial conversion fund instead? Would the hon. member promise to defend within her party the idea of a military industrial conversion fund? That industry has tremendous brain power and human resources and also money invested in infrastructure, so there is surely a way to capitalize on this immense human potential and on that infrastructure.
Can she at least tell us if she can make her caucus realize that the way to diversify is really to have a military industrial conversion fund?