Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his question.
First, I would like to provide a brief historical overview. In the 1960s and the 1970s, the money went to the larger cities. We had a number of very impressive infrastructure projects, like the Olympic stadium and the road system. Nowadays, because of globalization, businesses produce twice as much but create half as many jobs.
For example, the Lac-Saint-Jean area is currently faced with huge problems. Three of the six main commodity exporters are located in our area and are currently affected by the various crises: the softwood lumber dispute, the employability issue and the mad cow disease crisis. What we need to do is to use government money to provide financial assistance to these communities. We have to support and create programs based on the needs of the people.
We want jobs. The government has the obligation to use its money to support development, but in a cohesive manner, by going through Quebec and respecting the will of the region, its consensus and its own vision for its development.