Mr. Speaker, this morning the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal , my local paper, reported that the Minister of National Defence, along with the former PC minister of international trade, Michael Wilson, have teamed up to lobby the governments of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to try to drum up some business for our Saint John Shipyard.
The Saint John Shipyard is billed as a centre of excellence. It has an outstanding reputation as a world leader. Both the Trudeau and Mulroney governments were responsible for creating the most modern shipyard in the world in Saint John. The final frigate set sail this past summer and 4,000 workers are now out of work. There is a need for a new contract.
To the shock of many of the people on that side, I want to publicly thank the Minister of National Defence for taking this initiative. I wish him and Mr. Wilson all the best in their endeavours and I do hope that we hear good news for the shipyard in the future. I offer my full support.