Mr. Speaker, we are well acquainted with the Bloc Québécois expertise in the matter of railways. As you know, the Bloc wants to build a high-speed train service linking Quebec and New York. It would definitely be a light rail system because there would not be very many passengers on board.
The Bloc is now giving advice to the government about the aerospace industry. I imagine that it is just as pertinent. Not so long ago, for example, the House Leader of the Bloc Québécois said in this House, “...we will no longer have to pay for Canada's planes, we will buy our own and have them made where we see fit”. That is a very unequivocal comment.
So, I wonder where these Bloc Québécois planes will be built: in Roberval, their House leader's riding, or in Laurier—Sainte-Marie, the Bloc leader's riding? Perhaps I should add Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup to the Bloc Québécois's list of imaginary aerospace centres, to please the member who has moved the motion that is before us.
That is the beauty of being a Bloc Québécois member. You can say whatever you like, promise whatever you like, knowing that you will never have to make good on anything. It is also, at the very least, surprising—and I am being generous—to have the Bloc, whose main objective is to separate Quebec from Canada, place in jeopardy the economic security of all Quebeckers and claim to be the arbiter of regional development in Canada. That would be quite generous, thank you very much.
So, the pyromaniacs want to play firefighter. I would no more entrust the economic development of Canada to the Bloc than I would entrust the blood bank to Dracula. By the way, what economic spinoffs has the Bloc Québécois brought to Quebec City and to Quebec since it was founded, 17 years ago?
Everyone knows the answer: none. This is the economic record of a party that claims to represent the interests of Quebeckers: nothing accomplished, no investments made, and no jobs created.
We recognize those who contribute to the advancement of Quebec society based on their achievements. Quebeckers want action and tangible results, not just words and proclamations. The Bloc has done nothing because it can do nothing but talk.
Sure, it can start big debates like this one, but did it get a single bill passed or make a single project happen? No, of course not, because the Bloc is not the government. It will never be the government. Unlike them, in just a few months, the new government has addressed almost all of the major priorities it announced during the election. Most importantly, we have laid the foundations for a better future for the Quebec nation by defining a new open federalism that is already bearing fruit.
We are working to correct the fiscal imbalance, which is something the Bloc Québécois has been talking about a lot for years. But will the Bloc correct the fiscal imbalance? No, the current government will correct it. The Bloc's position, as articulated in the motion before us, is all the more absurd because it completely fails to acknowledge why we are making these military purchases.
We are not purchasing military equipment as part of an experiment in regional economic development. After 13 long years of Liberal neglect, we are buying strategic airlift to give the Canadian Forces better equipment so they can do their work at home and abroad more efficiently and safely.
The four planes we are now buying will, first and foremost, allow the rapid transportation of a large number of passengers or quantity of equipment over great distances in case of a national emergency or an international crisis. That is what we promised during the last election campaign and that is what we will deliver, because we keep our promises.
The Bloc's military policy, as articulated by its leader, deserves to be restated here in this House. The leader of the Bloc Québécois told party supporters that he wanted Quebec—an independent Quebec—to have a pacifist army. Imagine: a pacifist army. What about terrestrial aviation or a dry navy? Surely that would be less dangerous.
The contract announced today is not the first step in a procurement process whose industrial spinoffs will benefit all regions of the country. Future contracts will be awarded for tactical airlift, medium to heavy lift helicopters, joint support ships and medium sized logistics trucks.
Altogether, the military procurement initiatives that stem from the “Canada first” strategy will create some $13 billion in industrial spinoffs for Canada over the next 20 years. The commercial opportunities for Canadian businesses, and the aerospace and defence industry are therefore unprecedented. The joint strike fighter program, which our government signed on November 20, 2006, for example, gives Canadian businesses access to $8 billion for their industrial contribution to the program. Our government's investments in research and development projects will allow businesses to continue to innovate and benefit from the commercial opportunities presented to them.
Our primary objective with these procurements is to rebuild the Canadian Forces. We have worked with the aerospace and defence industries to make the best of the opportunities from these procurements.
In the case of some procurement projects, the government may specify minimum percentages of benefits for certain regions, for example, 10% each for the west, Atlantic Canada and Quebec. This provides the government a safeguard to ensure the contractors consider the excellent capacity that exists across all regions of the country.
It also emphasizes to bidders the importance of cross-Canada involvement when they undertake these projects. The minimums are set so that they will not interfere with market forces, meaning the companies only undertake commitments that make good business sense to them.
Our goal is to foster long term sustainable business relationships that will benefit both the Canadian industry and the prime contractor.
I would also like to mention that Boeing and Pratt & Whitney, the companies that will carry out the contract in question, have made a significant commitment to Canadians.
For every dollar these companies receive in acquisitions, an equal amount will be invested in Canada. Thus, this means a 100% return on the investment. This translates into new opportunities for our aerospace and defence industries, as well as for our workers throughout Canada.
Our policy ensures greater industrial competitiveness for Canada, greater access to markets, better marketing and more investments in advanced technologies. My hon. colleague, the Minister of Industry, specified that this policy is non-negotiable. As he recently said: “We insist that every dollar that companies receive from our defence procurement is matched by a dollar of economic activity in this country—in other words, a Canadian investment that delivers dollar for dollar.”
All regions of Canada will be able to benefit. Of course, Quebec, and especially the Montreal area, where the core of our aerospace industry is located, will benefit from our policy to modernize our military equipment. The members of the Bloc Québécois have no fear of being ridiculed. With this motion, they are telling this House that Quebec industry can only succeed if they are supported specifically by the Canadian government.
If I am able to attend the major meeting of the aerospace industry next year at Le Bourget, France, I think I will bring along my colleague opposite. He will see that Quebec aerospace companies are among the most dynamic, the most respected and the most efficient in the world. Given that our companies are so successful internationally, there is absolutely no reason why they cannot continue to succeed in Canada.
Even Aéro Montréal, which represents only Quebec companies, was realistic enough to congratulate the Canadian government for equipping the armed forces with equipment appropriate to its national and international obligations.
According to the chairman of Aéro Montréal, “In our opinion, the related program of industrial and regional benefits is an excellent instrument for economic development in the strategic industrial sectors of aerospace and defence”.
But it is too much to hope that the Bloc Québécois recognizes the rationale for our purchases and the resulting spinoffs. Naturally, that is very naive thinking because the Bloc Québécois does not believe in Canada. It does not believe in the mission of our armed forces. But Canada's new government will defend Canada and will support the men and women who are prepared to fight to defend our values and our interests. We will continue to take concrete action in the interest of Quebeckers.