It is like the research centres that are on the other side of the river as well. It is a pretty tricky business.
So, for Montreal, this means 9 per cent of all public servants. Taking a look at the main departments and the cuts likely to be made in Montreal, it is clear the cuts will be huge ones, especially when we know there are no measures to soften the blow. No measures are planned.
If a total of 45,000 positions are cut nationwide, the total number that Montreal would lose of the 20,000 or 21,000 currently located there would be 2,730. That is a huge number! They are unionized jobs, generally well paid. It is a question of 2,730. But that is not all. Canadian National employs approximately 7,000 people in Montreal. We know that they want to
privatize. The Canada Post Corporation is also a big employer. The CBC employs 3,723 people. Everybody at the CBC in Montreal knows this, only the French section of course, and when I say everybody, I mean everybody except the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The people who watch the news on Radio-Canada, which probably does not include the Minister of Canadian Heritage, know that 750 positions will be cut. I see my colleague, the government whip, gesture that, yes indeed, he knows that 750 positions will be cut.