Madam Speaker, I wanted to raise a point of order on a matter of interpretation. The hon. member said we were not there, at committee. That is incorrect. We cannot be everywhere at once, and there are many committees of the House of Commons. Often, Bloc Quebecois members travel around the world and cannot attend committee. We do not mention it in the House. They are travelling. I am the only member not to have travelled abroad. I want to make that perfectly clear.
The hon. member mentioned the $250 million for oil companies. Well, let us talk about oil and this $250 million. There are two provinces in Canada with an energy authority These authorities set the floor price for oil. We cannot talk about oil without talking about the people who put regular gas in their vehicles. As we know, recently in Ottawa, gasoline has been selling for 66.4¢ per litre, while in the Abitibi, it is selling for 74.9¢; in Kuujjuaq, regular gas is selling for $1.22 per litre. Who established an energy authority for oil in Quebec? The PQ did, when it was in office. It should not have. It should have gone the way of the free market instead. Our gasoline price would be closer to Ontario's 66.4¢, instead of 74.9¢.
Let us look at the bill as it stands. The Bloc Quebecois contends that we did not adopt the amendments put forward. There are no amendments before the House at this time. Bill C-48 is. We all have respect for the Quebec Mining Association, the Mining Association of Canada and prospectors. We win some and we lose some; it is 50-50. But the hon. member mentioned rates. The Bloc said, “We support the mining association for 20%”. That is incorrect; what the Bloc proposed was 10%, then 14% and 20% thereafter. They should switch gears, because we are not debating amendments today.
I support the legislation in order to get at least 50%.