Mr. Speaker, I am pleased with the question from the hon. member who had an opportunity, as part of the natural resources committee, to participate in the study on rural development.
Do I believe that rural Canada has everything it needs or that it wants? Of course not. However, progress is being made. Matters are far more advanced today than they were when the government came to power.
A progression has taken place over the last three years. The member and I share the fact that we come from rural Canada. The needs of rural Canadians really were not on the national agenda when we came to this place. Rural Canada was not a topic of conversation. This government has put it on the agenda.
We saw that clearly last year in the 1996 throne speech when the Prime Minister made a commitment to rural Canada. He understood that the challenges which are faced by rural Canadians are different from those challenges faced by urban Canadians. The programming and the delivery of that programming has to be designed in a way that takes into account the unique challenges which face rural Canadians.
That process moved forward and a budget came forward from the Minister of Finance in which a number of measures were taken to assist rural Canadians. It is the beginning of a process. It is not the end. Much more needs to be done. That is why I was pleased as the chair of the natural resources committee to have an opportunity, with my colleagues from all parties, to have the national resources committee study the whole issue of rural development. We travelled from coast to coast, out west, in Ontario, in Quebec and in the maritimes and listened to Canadians from all of those regions tell us about their concerns and their needs. The report was tabled in the House last week and it discussed some of those concerns and needs.
The budget has begun the process to address them. I am confident that the government will continue in this mandate and when we have a renewed mandate to continue the process of the revitalization of rural Canada. This government is committed to rural Canadians.