Mr. Speaker, the industry committee has been examining this bill for three days now and here, in the House, the minister has now been trying to allay the hon. member's fears for two or three days. With each passing day, I realize that his understanding of this bill's role is getting lesser and lesser.
The clock is ticking away and, unless we pass this bill before the end of June, there will be no more money for the Federal Business Development Bank, to name one, and no more money for small and medium size businesses. One of the aims of this bill is to increase the capital available to these businesses as loans.
The hon. members say that no other province boasts so many regional offices. That is because the other provinces, like the four Atlantic provinces, have their own agency. I know at least 70 members from Ontario who would like to get their hands on the budget for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec to give it to Ontario, where the program does not even exist.
I am going to quote again the clause with which the hon. member seems to have so much difficulty. Clause 20 clearly says that "The Bank may enter into agreements with, and act as agent for, any department or agency of the government of Canada or a province-"
I am stopping here because I think he is stumbling on the word "province". When he talks about the RCMs, municipalities and school boards of Quebec-I must agree that municipalities were created by the provincial government-that did not prevent us from signing the Canada-Quebec infrastructure agreement with all three levels of government.
Therefore, I fail to see why he should worry, because, in my opinion, there is no cause for worry. We can sign agreements with agencies, and if they fall under provincial jurisdiction, the agencies, for example a municipality, will be obliged by law to obtain the provincial government's agreement.
There is no doubt in my mind that we are not trying to erode powers. What we are trying to do is resolve the problem many small and medium size businesses are having regarding access to capital. This bill aims to bring within their reach the $50,000, $60,000 or $100,000 they need, which banks cannot offer them, at the moment.