Mr. Speaker, after operating for 47 years, the Murdochville smelter will soon close its doors and 300 workers will lose their jobs. This is a difficult blow to the municipality, which has lost its only plant, but it does not have to be a fatal one if the federal government does its part quickly to ensure that Murdochville retains its specialized workforce, the key to an industrial recovery that will benefit the entire region of the Gaspé.
If the government is determined to keep Murdochville open, is it prepared to provide people with the financial means to stay, by not taxing their severance pay, as was done in 1985 in Gagnon?