Mr. Speaker, in spite of the limited time at our disposal, only four minutes, I want to take a moment to congratulate the hon. member for Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière for his extraordinary work in the past two years to set up a coalition of employers and workers all across Canada.
During that period, our colleague managed to visit every shipyard in Canada, as well as some in Asia, including in Taiwan, and in the United States. He made numerous representations to the Minister of Industry and to the Prime Minister. He also had his bill signed by 100 members of the opposition, which allowed him to introduce it. Our colleague did an extraordinary job and the community in Quebec and Canada can never be too grateful to him.
It is to be hoped that, in spite of the comments made earlier by the Liberal member, the government will wake up and stop ignoring the perfectly legitimate demands of managers and unions on this issue.
Shipbuilding has traditionally been a key sector, and for good reason, since Canada is bordered by three oceans and we have the St. Lawrence River and the largest seaway in the world. It is only normal and legitimate for Canada to have had, and this should continue to be the case, such an important naval shipyard industry.
The hon. member for Lévis-et-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière has had to face incredible apathy from the members opposite. We just had evidence of that earlier, once more. In spite of all his representations, our colleague's efforts have so far been in vain, unless some Liberal members, in private and behind the scenes—the Liberal excel at that—have shown some form of openmindedness in the recent past.
It is most surprising and even vexing to hear such things as we just have, because in recent history the Liberals made commitments in the red book, as they had on the GST and NAFTA, saying that they would look after the shipyards. I can read a resolution passed in a recent Liberal convention, one filled with whereases, which states as follows:
Be it resolved that the Liberal Party of Canada strongly urge the Canadian government to immediately develop a national shipbuilding policy in order to provide assistance to that industry and thus to maintain and reinforce the level of excellence of the technologies that have earned us a high reputation we are now in danger of losing.
These are the words of the Liberal Party and yet the Liberal government will absolutely not budge on this matter. There is nothing but total lethargy; it refuses to do anything. To give an example, not only is it doing nothing, but as far as the measures are concerned which the hon. member for Lévis—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière is suggesting and which tax legislation can improve, loan guarantees and tax credits, the Government of Quebec has already established tax credits for Quebec shipbuilders.
What has the Liberal government done since then, despite its commitments in the red book, despite the proposals made at the Liberal Party's convention? They are taxing the tax advantages Quebec shipyards have received because of the Quebec government's tax credits. That is what collaboration and openmindedness means to this government, which is as lethargic in this matter as in others, a government the people are going to get rid of within a few months, perhaps.
There are thousands and thousands of jobs at stake. A few years ago, Canada's shipyards provided 12,000 jobs and now the figure is less than 3,000. What is at issue here is international competition, with Asia for example, where there is a 30% subsidy, with Europe and its 9% subsidy, and the United States with its protectionist measures with which everyone is familiar. The Canadian government must bring itself up to speed.