Mr. Speaker, I was astonished with the response by the Minister of Industry to my question of October 22, 1998.
My question addressed the government's involvement, or lack thereof, in finding solutions to the shutting down of the Bayer Lake Volvo assembly plant in my riding. The minister refused to address the issue of what the Liberal government would do to work toward saving jobs.
Volvo's abrupt announcement left 223 workers suddenly fearful for their futures and their families' futures. And abrupt it was. One Volvo worker was quoted as saying:
Few people saw it coming. Sales were up, and the quality of the product from this plant was among the best. That's what they kept telling us anyway. They all had efficiency engineers in watching us do our jobs. I guess that was so they would know what to do when they move our jobs to Mexico.
On September 29 I wrote the minister and included in my letter one suggestion for a manufacturer to replace Volvo, including an executive summary of the business plan of the company. The minister appeared to have better things to do than worry about the loss of a couple of hundred jobs in Nova Scotia.
What is unacceptable is not that the minister did not find the perfect solution but that apparently he had no interest in even trying. To make matters worse, the government shares some responsibility for the closure of the plant. The government planted the bomb, lit the fuse and walked away. It planted the bomb by deciding to lower auto tariffs, then lit the fuse with NAFTA and now it has walked away.
Thanks to NAFTA, Volvo may be producing in Mexico the same vehicles which are currently produced in Nova Scotia. I would like to read a quote from a letter I wrote to the president and chief executive officer of Volvo, Mr. Gord Sonnenberg:
I am deeply regretful of Volvo's decision to close the plant in my riding.
I certainly wish representatives from Volvo had made the effort and taken the time to work with myself, and representatives from other levels of government, our community and the employees to explore alternatives to shutting your plant down. My understanding is that your company was welcome in our community, and I know our taxation system is generous to the corporate sector.
Demonstrating the common decency of working with our community to find a solution would have been the better route.
I am painfully aware that such an increase of unemployment not only directly hurts those workers affected, but negatively impacts on us all.
I wish I could say that the Liberal government has acted better but I am afraid I cannot.
I do hope in response to my comments the government specifically addresses the issue of the closing of the Volvo plant. While the issues of auto tariffs and the impact of NAFTA are noteworthy, the real issue of substance here is this federal government's apparent disinterest in the economy of Nova Scotia.
Who knows if federal involvement may have assisted in finding a solution. But refusing to work with the community, the workers and business to find a solution can only lead to the conclusion that the government cares little for the futures of these workers and their families.
I close by sincerely offering any assistance I may be able to provide to the minister to facilitate the government involving itself in finding solutions.