Mr. Speaker, I find it a kind of a paradox listening to this this morning. Recently a member of the Bloc Quebecois came to my riding in British Columbia. While he was there I had a chance to hear a lot of their policies. I thought it was really interesting because a lot of their ideas are not that different from mine.
In fact in identifying the problem and identifying the cause of the problem federally we were very much in agreement. Where we came to a difference was in the solution. It sounds like we are in much the same situation here this morning.
We believe that regional development grants are not working well, that it is not a good way to redistribute the wealth of the country. The Bloc have talked about the failure of a system. We agree with that too but where we come to a difference again is in the solution.
Because regional development grants do not work the Bloc feels that this is a reason to separate. We suggest this is a reason to come to Ottawa and change the system and that is our purpose in being here.
Interprovincial trade barriers are also something that cost the individual provinces a tremendous amount of money and that is in the provincial hands. The amounts of the grants that go to the Atlantic region were mentioned. Interprovincial trade barriers cost the Atlantic region more than the total value of their regional development grants. So there are solutions in the hands of the Quebec government at this time.
They talked of the VIA Rail system and how there has to be more subsidies or the continuation of subsidies in order to enhance tourism and passenger travel. In British Columbia VIA Rail tried to operate a system that was largely tourist oriented. Even though it was hugely subsidized it lost its shirt. Private enterprise stepped in and without any subsidies whatsoever is now turning a nice profit and causing a tremendous boon for the various regions of British Columbia that it travels in without, as I said, any subsidy whatsoever.
There are any number of things that we can talk about such as the post office. I suggest to the Bloc that a solution to part of the problems in terms of keeping some of the money at home would be to deal with some of the internal problems of Quebec.
With regard to the regional development grants, we support the idea that we need a lot of these things that become in part patronage. Regional development grants do on occasion work. I am not suggesting that every time they are used they are a total failure.
However, the federal government has to stop wasting so much money. The only way it will get its deficit under control is if it spends less, pure and simple. This is an area where it can cut the spending. It could then stop taking that money from the individual provinces and they would be more viable.
I would ask the Bloc if it has a solution that does not involve separation. We certainly do. We think that is the direction it should be going in. Give us a solution not an enhancement.