Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for this excellent question, which raises some very important points.
Actually, one cannot help agreeing on the face of it with the member's statement that the resources are non-renewable and, once developed, will have disappeared forever. However, we must never forget that these resources are not developed in a vacuum; the wealth that their development generates for the various provinces is re-invested in infrastructure and services for people and will make it possible to reduce taxes.
Non-renewable resources are not in fact developed in an economic void where money is collected but not re-invested elsewhere. Thus the development of non-renewable natural resources brings wealth to the various provinces.
I feel that it is on this basis that we should calculate the entire potential in order to ascertain all the revenues. That is the first thing.
Second, when one thinks of Alberta and of the Hibernia project, for example, all Canadians contributed to the exploratory phase and to the development of the resources in various ways. As a Quebecker, some of my taxes went to developing these natural resources. Now I am told that, on the one hand, I helped to finance the development of non-renewable natural resources, but on the other, I cannot enjoy any of the benefits of that development.
Although the member may seem to be right, when we examine his suggestion a little more closely, we realize that it is very unfair. This is why I ask my Conservative friends once again to give this some more thought.