Madam Speaker, I would like to ask a question of my colleague, who also is a Montrealer, who is from this beautiful great region of Montreal, which is home to half the population of Québec.
There is a formula and an originality in Montreal in the area of regional development, which is related to the corporations for economic and community development. I think he has one in his riding. My riding includes the CDEST, the Corporation de développement de l'Est, with Thérèse Sainte-Marie, to whom I want to pay tribute. She is very involved in our community.
We know that corporations for economic and community development were created in the late 1980s, when extremely significant industrial changes were taking place. In the east, for example, Vickers, which was a shipyard, had shut its doors, like a number of labour-intensive industries.
It so happens that the federal government, over the past few months, has been somewhat reluctant with respect to permanent funding for the corporation for economic and community development. Development corporations receive more funding than do the corporations. Good for them. I know the good they do in the regions.
Nonetheless, I was wondering if we could count on our colleague to intercede with the minister in charge in order for the operating budgets of the corporations for economic and community development to be increased.