Untaxed, the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot just pointed out.
We have to ask ourselves whether it is normal or acceptable, in 1995, for a democratic society to implement such provisions. This is why westerners have not been too vocal. They do not complain too much about the fact that the Western Grain Transportation Act will be repealed, because they know that they will get $2.9 billion in compensation.
I say to Quebec agricultural producers: "Put on a smile, the federal taxes you pay will help your competition". These subsidies will help western producers to change their production, and who is to say that they will not replace their grain production with meat, poultry or dairy products. And they will do it all with your federal taxes. This is incredible.
The bill also repeals the Atlantic Region Freight Assistance Act. Subsidies totalling some $99 million, and perhaps as much as $108 million, depending which of the two figures I have is accurate, are provided for the region located east of an imaginary line called the Jackman line, in the Beauce region, including the Gaspé peninsula and all of Atlantic Canada. Again, we are talking about subsidies totalling some $100 million.
This program will be eliminated. As a transitory measure, the budget provides for a five year, $326 million transportation adjustment program. Bloc Quebecois members representing eastern Quebec will probably express their views on this issue, since their region will be eligible for the moneys which will be made available to either improve the highway system or support programs for secondary or tertiary processing.
In any case, I represent the riding of Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans and I am not directly concerned by this issue. However, I think that the residents of eastern Quebec, the lower St. Lawrence region, the Gaspé peninsula and the riding of Bellechasse are in a good position to know how this adjustment fund could be used.
I did meet business owners from that region who told me that, sometimes, this subsidy was ineffective-