Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Industry said he met with members of the shipbuilding association, to which the management of Canada's nine largest shipyards belong. Their brief, which dates back to 1996—and they still stand by it—mentions a number of considerations the minister or the parliamentary secretary talked about.
There are four points on which they insist, and the minister did not respond, in particular with regard to the implementation of an improved export funding program.
Yes, some assistance is available through the Export Development Corporation, but the minister said himself that Nova Scotia felt the need to implement such a program, and it is nothing new since the minister knows about Title XI in the United States.
Everyone here agrees. We do not have to talk about subsidies. Nobody is asking for that. We want tax measures and loan guarantees just like those available in the United States. We are not talking here about the Jones act. We are talking about Title XI, a program that provides guaranteed loans at lower rates, just like in the aerospace industry.
I will give the minister the opportunity to respond to that.