Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague who was very generous to give up his time so I could speak.
My friend from the Bloc Quebecois is absolutely right. This is the time for us to do that. I would encourage the minister to meet with his counterparts across party lines to implement a tax structure that would enable our microbreweries to be competitive.
We know that wherever they are microbreweries are a Canadian success story. They have been able to compete not only within Canada, but across borders. They provide an excellent product. The United States, with a population of over 300 million, is a huge market. Our microbreweries can and should be allowed to go into that country. The worst thing would be to have an environment where the government puts obstacles in the way so that the microbreweries cannot compete.
I encourage the government to work with members on this side to implement a tax structure that will enable the microbreweries to be competitive. The longer the minister waits, the worse it is going to be. Microbreweries could be put out of business at the very worst, but at the least it could make them not as competitive as they ought to be, thereby limiting the number of people who could work in the industry.