Mr. Speaker, on February 5, 2001, the hon. member asked the Minister of Industry whether he would make a commitment to table as soon as possible a bill providing the country with a true shipbuilding policy.
The minister responded that he was pleased that colleagues on all sides of the House had discussed shipbuilding in Canada with a view to identifying ways to improve the situation of this sector. Most important, the minister noted that he was waiting for the report of the national shipbuilding and industrial marine partnership project, which was recently released on April 5, 2001. This was a private sector task force which the minister established to provide views to the government on practical and workable approaches to improving the shipbuilding industry.
The report, which was tabled earlier this month, sets out a range of possible measures. It identifies a wide variety of policy recommendations and options for the federal government as well as for provincial governments and other stakeholders, including industry and labour, to improve the quality and productivity of the shipbuilding industry. The report is being carefully analyzed, and the minister is consulting with his federal colleagues and provincial counterparts so he can respond to the report's recommendations within the next few months. I assure the hon. member that the minister will be giving the report very careful consideration in the coming months.