You have to say please, but what is worse is that Boeing will not be able to go to Cuba. Why? Because the U.S. government has a foreign policy for Cuba. It will tell us that it is not appropriate to go to Cuba and we will not get the part. That is the number one problem and that is serious.
Earlier, we talked about ITAR and dual citizenship. I am disappointed, because the member for Abbotsford mentioned something earlier, referring to one of our colleagues who said he has dual citizenship and could be a member of Parliament, but could not work, and I would like to know what it means, because I am learning English.
He said that he does not belong here. That is what he said. So I want to know what that means later.
We are talking about dual citizenship. Currently, there is a problem at Bell Helicopter. Venezuela and Haiti are on the list of 25. The Haitian diaspora is present in my riding. Haitian engineers are not allowed to work on these projects. We would like to work with China, but those who have dual citizenship that includes the Chinese citizenship cannot work on such projects. It is not just engineers. The janitor who works in the building, close to the aircraft, is not allowed. This is serious. This affects not only engineers and those who hold important positions, but even manual workers who work close to the aircraft. Things are just fine. Does he believe in multiculturalism?
There is an even more serious problem. It means that, ultimately, we have not only surrendered because we now have second-class citizens, but we have also sold out our sovereignty and our industry. Whether in Quebec or elsewhere, regardless of percentages, if we want the industry to thrive, if we want things to work, we must have intellectual property.
What are the next generations of engines being built on? What did Kenroad, what did IMP grow on? It was maintenance. I am all in favour of starting up windshield washer businesses, but maybe we could be developing synthetic oils. But we will not have a real aeronautics industry in Canada with this government that gives us peanuts or with a Minister of Industry whose knees hurt and who goes to negotiate in Washington. We want to be sure that our government is doing its job. This minister said that he could not intervene because this would be political interference and favouritism. What is this Minister of Industry good for if he cannot work for the interests not only of his province but of the industry? The situation is quite worrying.
We could also talk about intellectual property. I am happy today because, with the official opposition, we passed a motion unanimously. I have just come from the Standing Committee on National Defence. Let those who are listening take note. We just unanimously passed a resolution in which it was recommended that the Auditor General look at all the contracts. I am prepared to fight for the industry, but I am not interested in crumbs from $3.4 billion and a blank cheque for $1.3 billion when maintenance is going to take place in the United States. When money is given, it has to be given entirely to Canadians so that they can benefit from it. I want a competitive process that enables us to get our money’s worth. Let them come up with their scenarios ensuring that every region will get what it deserves. But that is not what happens. I am very happy that the recommendation was made that the Auditor General look at the C-17 contracts. We might as well have simply leased these C-17s, given that we will not have the intellectual property, will not have the parts and will be unable to help our industry.
There was an alternative; Boeing could have leased them to us. We would have had the money to invest elsewhere. We could have invested in defence infrastructure. We could have invested in parts for which we know that we already have the intellectual property. Not only did the government abdicate its responsibility but, since we bought only four planes and we do not have the infrastructure, we are going to let the Americans have the jobs, too. They are going to get us excited with $577 million out of a contract worth $3.4 billion. That is what they established. Am I going to fight for 15% of 60% in Quebec? I want to make sure first that we are not falling into this government’s snare, that it will prove to us that we will get our money’s worth and that Canadians and Quebeckers, people in the Maritimes and people in the West, will get their due, that is, that we will really get this percentage. Right now we are fighting for peanuts.
I believe in a fair share. I believe in this country and I believe in true sovereignty because we need to equip our forces. As a matter of fact, the marketing strategy was easy. The government just brought back its blue paint and just changed the label because we already announced at that time $13 billion.
Nevertheless, I would say that the motion is appropriate. The government has to come clean and if it is not doing that then we still have question period. We have several questions, but I am pretty pleased that the Auditor General will now take a look at all those contracts because it smells.