Mr. Speaker, I fully agree with what my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie is saying. A year ago, I was industry critic. The Standing Committee on Industry, Natural Resources, Science and Technology made the recommendations that the Standing Committee on Finance is now proposing to the House. This was all done in a context of sustainable development.
There is no finer example than public transit in terms of capital cost allowance. If there is investment in cleaner transportation, jobs will be created. For example, the Bombardier plant in La Pocatière manufactures railway cars, locomotives and that type of vehicle. What is more, they are helping the environment. We are incorporating the idea of sustainable development and making great strides.
The current government has always made a distinction between economic development and the environment, but we now need an approach focused on sustainable development, as my colleague was saying. We have to make sure that any economic decisions are made with a view to sustainable development. In future, there can no longer be reckless development that does not take into account the impact on the environment.
The measures being proposed today would help achieve balance. The federal government has helped the oil sands industry and the oil industry very generously over the past few decades with all sorts of tax credits. Now it has an opportunity to help us have a cleaner manufacturing industry.
This industry has already made a significant effort in Quebec compared to the other provinces. We can report on the progress it has made. Nonetheless, this type of credit would allow stakeholders to go even further and, ultimately, we would have cleaner industries. This will allow development instead of the current laissez-faire approach that is resulting in job losses. Products will always need to be manufactured somewhere, but we cannot continue the current practice of offshoring. In some countries, of course, jobs are a matter of day-to-day survival and that is harder to reconcile with environmental issues. Nonetheless, if there is one thing we can do for this planet, it is to ensure that development is accompanied by acceptable environmental sustainability. The little things we do today can have a very positive impact in the future. Companies may get tax credits to improve their productivity and will thereby contribute to sustainable development for Quebec and Canada.