Madam Speaker, I believe today you have created an interesting precedent. Through a series of circumstances, we received right away the parliamentary secretary's answer to the motion moved by the member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik. Finally this will allow us to look at both sides of the issue.
I am rising today to speak to this bill because since private members business was moved up the member for Témiscamingue, who was supposed to be here, was unfortunately not able to free himself. I believe my speech will be a faithful rendition of his own. I was particularly inspired by his vision which reflects regional needs.
In this regard I was saying earlier that the fact the parliamentary secretary answered the motion moved by the member was very instructive. Even if he comes from a mining area he seems to have put his interest as a parliamentary secretary, as a representative of the government, ahead of his interest as a member of parliament.
What is important in the motion is not necessarily every comma. I am going to read it, but it should be understood that it is really a cry for help, because in one area of Quebec and in northern Ontario there is one industry which is facing major difficulties.
As we know, the mining industry as a whole is going through a major crisis, especially gold mining, a mineral ore which has gone through ups and downs. Transactions regarding the sale of this product have been very active over the past decades due to the way its price was set, the importance it was given and the fact that some countries had pegged their currency on gold. There has been a lot of changes which eventually lead to the situation which is denounced by the motion.
I am now going to read the motion:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should table emergency legislation regarding operating assistance for gold mines in Canada, in order to help gold mine operators cope with the rapid increase in production costs, and at the same time guaranteeing a fixed price for the gold they produce.
One may not agree with the wording of the motion. I find it difficult to understand the government's position because, after all, that industry is in a state of crisis. There is a need for some kind of emergency response plan in that sector, and the government must respond. It must do more than talk; it must take positive action. The government is not only responding with words but also extremely negatively.
We have here a member of parliament who presented a motion to get things moving to help an industry that is experiencing difficulties, but the government shuts the door tight, saying “let us simply let the market do its thing”. As previous speakers have said, in two, five or ten years we will count the number of gold mines that will have shut down in a given year. That will be due in part to the federal government's failure to act.
The government cannot invoke the fact that there are international agreements not to do anything. It must show some imagination and innovation. Why could the federal government not promote research in that sector?
We know that this industry is already highly productive. It is in our best interest to make sure that it can continue to be productive and competitive, but that industry needs help to continue to be productive. There is always room for improvement in the research sector. This may include the use that is made of the product. In any case, the government must be proactive and not have a defensive attitude, or even be closed to any suggestion, as is the case right now.
We could also promote exploration, identify reserves and try to find ways to diversify the market. If new discoveries are made, these people who are working in mines could possibly work in other sectors. There may be ways to diversify measures, but one should certainly not remain passive like the government is proposing.
The government can invoke the position of the Canadian Mining Association, which says “We do not agree with the motion that was put forward”, but this does not solve the problem at all.
Some communities are faced with major problems. When the mining market was flourishing, the government never contacted them to say “Your taxes are too high. We will wait a bit and ask less of you”.
When the industry is on a roll and these people are giving the government money, it gladly takes it. Now that the situation is difficult for them, they probably need help. These regions, especially the northern parts of Quebec and Ontario, deserve some attention. They deserve innovative solutions.
The government's position is disappointing. I was also listening to the debate and to what the Alliance member said. Taken literally, we can certainly find fault with certain aspects of the proposition, but what I would like people to remember today is that there is a region faced with a serious problem, that there is an industry faced with a serious problem and that the government, through its parliamentary secretary, is telling us there is nothing it can do.
I find that totally unacceptable because there is an example to follow. The Quebec government just gave regions $800 million in assistance funds, $250 million of which will go to the mining industry.
I agree with the hon. member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik on this, and not out of any kind of rivalry or one-upmanship. Could the federal government not, in one way or another, take a look at this initiative and see if there is not something that it could do in this matter.
If there were $500 million in assistance to the mining industry instead of $250 million, I think the fund would be worth while and could give positive results.
In conclusion, I say again that the hon. member for Témiscamingue finds that something does indeed need to be done in this industry. It is important for there to be some action. The situation is urgent. The federal government has to get moving. We have made proposals on this. Studies need to be carried out. The minister concerned must be ordered to take steps to stimulate research, to stimulate exploration, to be proactive.
Free competition does not exclude proactivity. Free competition does not mean that when an industry is affected by difficult international conditions it absolutely must be allowed to go under. Once mines have been closed, it will not necessarily be easy to get them open again.
As for the communities that will be affected when the social cost of these mine closures has to be assumed, perhaps the government will realize that the cost will be greater than what it would have cost initially to help out the industries concerned.
It is my hope that after the government members have done some thinking we will hear something different from them than what we have heard today. I also hope that as far as the conclusion reached by the hon. member making the proposal is concerned we will be able to look into the possibility of other approaches.
It is my fondest wish that the federal government will address this urgent matter. The lives of communities depends on it, the lives of families, and we have no right to abandon people who have long contributed to the productivity of the country and can be considered important factors in the vitality of their area.