Mr. Speaker, I can think of several possible ways of answering the muddled remarks of hon. member for Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
He is telling us that Quebec always got what it asked for from the federal government. Quebec did get a number of things, but Quebec cannot be said to have been the big winner on things that mattered and here are two examples.
First, the most important industry in terms of economic development has been the automotive industry. As the people from out west will tell you, it has all been concentrated in Ontario. You know how important this industry is; it drives the economy. If you need another example, think of the energy sector in Canada.
What happened in that sector in terms of funding? Over the past decade, the federal government has invested $12 billion in the development of atomic energy in Ontario. And each year, another $100 million to $130 million in new funds are spent on atomic energy in Ontario. During this time, how much did the federal government invest in hydroelectricity in Quebec? Not a cent.
This is only one side of the story. We must think about what the people in Western Canada, and Alberta in particular, have gone through. Think how they we taken in by the federal government decision to tax oil produced in Alberta. They are certainly justified in thinking that the federal system is unfair, because we are dealing with investments made essentially to serve the petty interests of that system.