Mr. Speaker, as the Bloc Quebecois critic for transport, I am pleased to speak to the motion by the Progressive Conservatives.
It was my intent to speak much more gently about the Conservatives because I thought their motion a good one. It is, in short, a general motion. I do not think anyone opposes virtue. On the contrary, we support saintliness, without necessarily expecting to be canonized.
The Bloc Quebecois supports the motion, but it is clear from the statement by the Progressive Conservative member for Chicoutimi before oral question period, which literally incensed the Liberal government, that this member is an expert in the art of joining with the Liberals against Quebec and the Government of Quebec.
So, given the attitude of the member for Chicoutimi, and when I read the articles in the Chicoutimi daily—because the hon. member has a real in with the daily and the chief editorial writer in particular, we learned recently—I will start by saying to those watching that, in 1993 and 1997, the Bloc Quebecois has made it known that the Liberals and the Conservatives are the flip sides of the same coin.
Why am I saying they are the same? For one very simple and good reason. The entire problem in shipbuilding in Quebec started with the Conservatives. When they were in power—between 1984 and 1993—they said “The shipyards must be streamlined. Not everyone can compete. Everyone is going to have to close”. The only province to streamline its shipyards was Quebec.
The Canadian Vickers shipyard in Montreal was really flourishing. There was Marine Industries in Sorel. These two major shipyards—not to mention the little yards that closed—which employed hundreds and hundreds, indeed thousands, of workers had to close their doors because the ministers of the Conservative government said “You must streamline”. So that the only shipyard left was MIL Davie in Lauzon.
Like my parents, I have an excellent memory. On Monday, October 11, 1993, on the night of Thanksgiving Day, and a few weeks before the election, I had the honour, the pleasure and the privilege of representing my party during a public debate that was carried by Radio-Canada in the Quebec region from Portneuf to the Magdalen Islands, including Gaspé, Sept-Îles and the greater Quebec City region.
I was representing the Bloc Quebecois, and I was facing the Liberal candidate in the riding of Quebec, Jean Pelletier, who lost to my colleague for Quebec, and is presently the chief of staff of the Prime Minister of Canada. The Conservatives were represented by good old Pierre Blais, who was the Minister of Justice and the member for Bellechasse. He lost to my colleague François Langlois.
Speaking for the Conservative government, the hon. member for Bellechasse told us “We have given money to MIL Davie”. I asked him how much, and he said “$1.2 billion”. I then told Pierre Blais “During that same period when you gave $1.2 billion to MIL Davie, you handed out $11 billion to the maritimes”. During the nine years the Conservatives were in power, shipyards kept popping up from nowhere in the maritimes.
During the 1993 election campaign, the Liberal Party, with Jean Pelletier, the present chief of staff of the Prime Minister of Canada and a Liberal candidate in the riding of Quebec, was claiming that it would invest $125 million in the Quebec City port.
He went and made speeches to workers coming out of the MIL Davie shipyard. We remember that. The Liberals promised the world and a marine policy. This government has been in office since 1993. What has it done? Absolutely nothing. I have here the resolutions adopted during the convention of the Liberal Party of Canada, including one by the New Brunswick Liberal Association, which is similar—I read it earlier—in almost every respect to what the Progressive Conservative Party is proposing today.
One conclusion provides that the Liberal Party of Canada should urge the Canadian government to immediately develop a national shipbuilding policy to help that industry and thus maintain and strengthen the degree of excellence and the technologies that helped build a solid reputation which we are in danger of losing. This is a resolution from the New Brunswick Liberal Association to its own party, which is the ruling party. What are the Liberals doing? Nothing. The resolutions arising from Liberal Party conventions are not worth the paper they are written on. If I were a Liberal militant I would be distressed to see that my government ignores the recommendations of its own militants. This is unbelievable.
I want to mention something else before my time is up. When Bloc Quebecois members speak in the House, it is often said that their input is useless because they are sovereignists. The Quebec government is useless because it is a sovereignist government. Nothing good can come from Quebec City. The Minister of Human Resources Development will not let the millennium scholarships be discussed between elected people, instead of asking the president of Bell Canada to negotiate with the Minister of Education, who was democratically elected.
So, our friends opposite would have us believe that nothing worthwhile is accomplished in Quebec. I am sorry, but the government should take note of the fact that, for several years now, and particularly since 1994, when the Parti Quebecois came back in office, tax incentives have been put in place for the shipbuilding industry, and not regressive measures that will kill what is left of that industry in Quebec. On the contrary, these measures were taken to promote the development of that industry.
As for expertise, there are the folks at MIL Davie and in Les Méchins, at the the shipyard run by Mrs. Verreault, a competent businesswoman able to compete internationally. So Quebec has expertise, but tax incentives are needed to help it develop and prosper.
In 1997, the Government of Quebec announced tax incentives to stimulate the shipping industry. Among other things, it raised the refundable tax credit for shipbuilding, around since 1996, from 40% to 50%. Second, it introduced a tax credit for the conversion or major refitting of ships, and extended this measure to oil rigs.
Finally, it made some adjustments the measure to reduce capital taxes. The problem is that the Government of Canada is taxing the benefits of Quebec's tax advantages, thus cancelling out part of the positive impact of these measures.
I think the federal Minister of Finance would do better to take a look at what Minister Landry is doing in Quebec, on behalf of the Government of Quebec, not just in Mr. Landry's own personal interest, although I have great respect for the man. The Government of Quebec has shown political will.
So the Minister of Finance would do better to look at what is going on, because there is a problem. Each time we want to speak to the federal Minister of Finance about shipbuilding or the shipping industry, he has to watch what he says. Everyone knows he is a major shipowner, being the owner of Canada Steamship Lines. Our party was the first to point out that four of the ships owned by Canada Steamship Lines are registered to the Bahamas, with foreign crews, and do not pay taxes here. The Minister of Finance is not setting a good example.
In conclusion, our party will be supporting this good motion, although I must say it is somewhat general.