Madam Speaker, as member representing Lévis and the Quebec region, I am pleased to participate in this special debate on regional development initiated by the Official Opposition.
I think it may be useful at this stage of the debate to read again the motion before us, which was put forward by the hon. member for Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup. It reads as follows:
That this House condemn the federal government's ineffective regional development interventions, which create overlappings and inconsistencies, resulting in an administrative chaos that hampers regional economic growth.
Madam Speaker, the members of the current federal government rack their brains only to recall the good shots of the previous Liberal government in terms of regional development.
Some members like the hon. member for Broadview-Greenwood-he is from Ontario-even got the feeling that Quebec was living off the federal government, that it owed its very survival to the federal government's support. I could quote other comments, but my point is the following: if Quebec costs so much in terms of unemployment insurance, social assistance, regional assistance and so on, what is the point of insisting, as this government does, on Quebec remaining a part of this Confederation? One wonders.
Figures speak louder than feelings. Therefore, I would like to recall a few. Between 1989 and 1994, according to the figures from the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec, the Atlantic provinces received $920 per person for regional development; Western Canada, $240; and Quebec, $230, which is less than Western Canada and much less than the Maritimes. The hon. member said that Quebec seemed to be the main beneficiary of regional development but, as we can see, Western Canada and the Maritimes received four times as much. Ontario receives $30 per resident but-as everyone recognizes and I think Ontarians must recognize it, too-Ontario is the main beneficiary of the federalist system.
Why? First of all, the presence of the public service, as well as all the money spent on AECL, on the Toronto Airport, over the years. There is also the defence industry. While Quebec was getting subsidies for small business, for bicycles in the Beauce region, Ontario's auto industry was doing very well and the military tank industry, even better.
The hon. member for Bonaventure said something earlier about how impressive business subsidies are. I did some calculations and in the provincial riding of Lévis, which is split in two at the provincial level, in what is called the regional county municipality of Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, which is my local economic development corporation, they estimated the impact of federal funds on the economic development of this riding at less than 1 per cent. One per cent of the regional economy comes from the federal government. They then try to convince us that Quebec would not have been able to develop its regions without the federal government's help. This disproportion is unacceptable.
Beyond figures-we could argue over figures for a long time-what is Quebec organizations' main complaint against the federal government's actions? I am not talking about the Bloc Quebecois but about the claims made by organizations in books and forums. They say that, basically, the main shortcoming of the federal government is that it does not hold enough consultations with the regional organizations already in place. Federal departments do not even hold enough consultations among themselves before taking action, so that most of the time the action only involves one sector.
I will give you an example. In the rail industry, they say it is expensive to maintain CN services but they do not consider the impact this will have on Quebec roads.
Let me give you an example. At certain times, a passenger train represents the equivalent of 17,000 automobiles on the road. These are the figures of the Quebec Department of Transport. When the idea is entertained of abandoning certain lines such as the Murray Bay line in the Charlevoix region and a number of other lines leading to the Beauce region, no consideration is given to the impact this could have on road infrastructures. This is what I mean by short-sighted sectoral intervention.
Another problem is maps. Federal government department maps do not jibe with one another, or for that matter, with provincial or regional municipality maps.
Apparently that is the case. Another area which we hear a great deal about but about which little is written is the Youth Service Corps. The member for Bonaventure has given me a striking illustration of the problem. While in Winnipeg, the minister announced the creation of four pilot projects, each with a budget of $100,000. However, one of the four projects was given a budget of $600,000. In which riding did this pilot project happen to be? Surprise, the member for Bonaventure's riding. That is what was announced in the minister's press release issued in Winnipeg. Check it out for yourselves.
Moving on, I would like to speak a little about the Quebec City area which, on a provincial level, is divided into two major regions, the combined population of which exceeds 900,000. Until now, the tertiary sector has been front and centre.
Allow me to quickly mention one case, that of MIL Davie. Here is an extraordinary opportunity for the federal government to intervene in the field of regional development. Before the Liberal Party came to power, this sector represented $150 million in wages. It also represented $600 million in economic spin-offs for the Quebec City area. The region has been waiting for six months for a decision on the awarding of transitional contracts for the Magdalen Islands ferry and for the smart ship.
Another important issue, apart from rail transportation which I have already mentioned, is the Quebec City airport. We have been waiting for years for action in this area. When the Conservatives were in office, they had a small sign erected proclaiming this facility to be Jean Lesage International Airport. However, the only thing that is international about this bush-league airport is the wording on its sign.
As for the municipal convention centre, the project got going only very recently. It took years! The communications problem raised by the hon. member for Rimouski also affects us, because the resources we had before which were exclusive to the Quebec City area must now be shared with the regions in eastern Quebec and the North Shore.
There is also the problem of the Port of Quebec. It is experiencing a tremendous decline. Why? Because goods are now shipped west, and their transportation is subsidized. Just reread the agreement on Crow's Nest subsidies. Yes, I know that was when the Conservatives were in power, but it still goes on.
There are the ports of refuge. The same thing goes in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli and in Portneuf: the federal government does not even maintain its own equipment and it has become dangerous to go near it.
I would like to conclude by saying that the urban region of Quebec City has not done too badly, in the end, but the problem we see in the outlying regions of Bellechasse, Portneuf and Charlevoix is the same as in the Lower St. Lawrence and the Gaspé Peninsula. But there are also large areas of poverty even in downtown Quebec, to which I think the Liberal government has so far shown great indifference.