Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to point out that the Minister of Human Resources Development was rather surprised at the support shown by the hon. member for Lévis for a Youth Service Canada project in his riding.
This was the same member who had previously said Youth Service Canada was an invasion of provincial jurisdiction. It is therefore difficult to account for the enthusiastic support shown by the hon. member, considering his opinion of federal initiatives.
Nevertheless, as the Secretary of State for Training and Youth pointed out to the hon. member in a letter dated September 5, 1995, the proposal is still quite interesting, but we need a few details.
The promoter, Alliance-Jeunesse, was asked to revise its proposal, and the Youth Service Canada secretariat offered to send one of its representatives to provide assistance. As soon as we receive the proposal, I can assure the hon. member it will be processed immediately.
Meanwhile, I think the hon. member will be pleased to hear that the minister has already provided a great deal in the way of employment assistance in his riding. In fact, according to the latest figures, those available for 1994-95, assistance for residents in the riding of Lévis totalled $7.7 million. That is a very substantial amount.
This would seem to argue against the assumption of the hon. member that the minister allocates funding on the basis of the way the member for the riding voted or intends to vote.
Clearly the hon. member's allegation has no basis in fact.