Mr. Speaker, when we are discussing economic issues, it is frustrating to hear the example of China being brought forward. Many people have indicated that in order for Canada to compete with China, we should bring our quality of life down to its level, that we should have its pollution, its environment, and its wage level. That is the wrong thing to do. It is very difficult to accept that argument. Nobody wants that as the national goal for Canada. I was at a meeting where an auto manufacturer said that our objective should be to have the same wages and conditions as the workers in China. That is not acceptable. That is a complete reversal of the way we need to go to keep our quality of life.
If the industry can take care of itself, why does it need hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies every year? In 1950 the fossil fuel and nuclear power industries received around $350 billion worth of subsidies from Canadian taxpayers. Should they pay that back now? If they can take care of themselves, if they can be in a free market economy, should they pay that back?