Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to ask a question to the hon. member for Lévis, who made a brilliant speech on shipping, a few minutes before oral question period. My colleague very eloquently showed the laxness, carelessness, incompetence and negligence of the federal government regarding the management of the St. Lawrence River and all related activities, including port traffic.
The St. Lawrence River is the world's largest inland waterway and 85% of Quebec's population lives along its north and south shores. Yet, the federal government has always been negligent regarding the management of the St. Lawrence River. The hon. member for Lévis made a brilliant presentation on the environmental risks created by this laxness in the protection of the environment, including the dangers posed by oil tankers; as we know, the Quebec City bridge was recently hit twice by oil tankers.
Given all this, could the hon. member tell us how the St. Lawrence River and its neighbouring regions should be managed, in terms of economic and regional development, in the context of a sovereign Quebec?