Madam Speaker, I thank the member from the Bloc for her question.
I cannot speak for western Canada as well as I can for British Columbia and especially coastal British Columbia which I would say in general is probably the one part of the country that looks to the federal government the least for anything. However there are special circumstances when indeed it does look to the federal government. This is a litmus test for the federal government in every way.
People are running out of benefits. Employment insurance and the entitlement to further benefits are essential right now. There was a huge expectation that on May 2 or at least on May 3 there would be an announcement. It was our opinion that the government could not let it go past the weekend. We are past the weekend and into the following week. It increasingly appears that the government has no agenda to do anything which is of huge concern.
For example, in my riding I am looking at one job in four being at risk. That is above and beyond the forest sector. That is talking of one job in four in total, everyone.
On the tariff end of things we want the government to do the right thing in terms of our negotiations with the U.S., however the approach that people are witnessing is an academic one. The government is displaying a lack of interest in investing political capital in rural British Columbia, rural western Canada and for that matter any other rural part of Canada.
The same equations hold true for Quebec, northern Ontario and other parts of the country. When one looks at the political landscape it is clear that the priority of the government is not in those places. That is the political reality. It is unfortunate for Canada and for Canadians that it is the mindset of the government and is a good reason why we should all feel slighted and insulted by its behaviour.