Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Industry has been using various Quebec weeklies to defend the indefensible.
The Conservative minister is trying to convince Quebeckers that he is depriving them of millions of dollars in economic spinoffs for their own good and that he wants to strengthen Quebec's aerospace industry by not supporting it.
The truth is that he is taking over $800 million in tax dollars away from our people to buy helicopters from an American company and asking that company to ensure $540 million in economic spinoffs for Quebec. The rest of the economic spinoffs, about $3 billion, will go to companies in western Canada.
The truth is that the people of Quebec will lose $260 million to western provinces. What is more, this is a Conservative, a Quebecker, who is using his power against Quebec and boasting about it. That is why Bloc Québécois members will continue to stand up for Quebec's interests.