Madam Speaker, given the cooperation, the reaching out and the lack of dogma we have seen since the prorogation of the House of Commons by the Conservative Prime Minister, I thought we would be able to support a real budget to stimulate the economy. But yesterday, the government presented a budget that is completely unacceptable for Quebec and for the people who, in this time of economic crisis, are entitled to adequate, sufficient measures from the federal government, which, I would add, has the means.
Clearly, Quebec will lose a great deal of money as a result of this budget, particularly when it comes to equalization. On January 15, 2009, the National Assembly of Quebec passed a motion calling on Ottawa to help Quebec through this economic crisis. Through this unanimous motion, the National Assembly asked the federal government to take a series of actions, including increasing support to the manufacturing sector and forestry industry, as it did for the Ontario auto industry; improving training for those workers most affected by the crisis; maintaining the current formula to calculate equalization; and increasing federal investment in infrastructure.
Yesterday, the Minister of Finance said no to Quebec. He confirmed the Quebec government's worst fears with his revised equalization calculation, which will mean a significant shortfall for Quebec, and with the creation of a single, pan-Canadian securities regulator. Let us not forgot that just two years ago, the Conservative government passed a motion recognizing the Quebec nation in the spirit of what it called openness. The budget confirms that that openness has suddenly been closed.
Quebeckers gave the Bloc Québécois a mandate, and the Bloc Québécois acted responsibly to fulfill that mandate when it proposed a detailed, costed, realistic plan last fall. That plan focused on major points of consensus among Quebeckers, and our role is to promote those ideas here in Ottawa. However, the Prime Minister has chosen not to do anything about Quebec's demands. Rather than help Quebec, the federal government has decided to deny it the tools it needs to face the crisis. Instead, the Conservative leader has chosen to give in to the demands of Ontario and the west. The worst part is that, just this morning, he got the support of the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
For example, the government has put forward nearly $4 billion worth of measures chiefly benefiting Ontario. The auto sector—which is concentrated in Ontario—will receive $2.7 billion, a disproportionate amount compared to the assistance Quebec will be receiving. The 2009 budget has allocated over $1 billion over five years to set up a southern Ontario development agency to help workers, communities and businesses in the region. In contrast, Quebec's forestry and manufacturing sectors will be getting just a few million dollars.
Bad faith has become a Conservative mantra: once again, they are back with their community adjustment fund, which will give Quebec just a tiny fraction of the money allocated for employment—
