Mr. Speaker, I thank you for giving me the chance to ask more questions of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
The members of the Bloc Quebecois are not overly taken with themselves. Their sole purpose in the House is to defend the interests of Quebeckers. I will quote, for the benefit of the minister, today's Le Devoir: “The aerospace industry is up in arms—The government has a duty to consolidate the industry in Quebec”.
He has the right to dream. In order to keep his job, the minister has the right not to defend the interests of Quebeckers. He can dream and, as he has said, hope that the industry gets its fair share of the market. However, he knows full well that it does not work that way.
He knows full well, as did his government the day it selected Boeing, that the investments in this company in Canada are principally in Ontario and western Canada. It is their choice. Moreover, the C-17 is a plane approaching the end of the line.
For that matter, it was after the discussions between the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States, which were aimed at supporting the American aerospace industry, that Canada agreed to award these contracts for a plane approaching the end of the line. That is a choice made by the government.
The minister can, of course, defend himself, but he must also, once and for all, defend the interests of Quebeckers, who pay 25% of federal taxes. For once in his life, he should fight for the interests of Quebeckers, to ensure that their industry gets its fair share. I am not the one who said: “The aerospace industry is up in arms”. What answer does the minister have for the industry today?