Mr. Speaker, Rio Tinto Alcan recently announced that it will permanently close its payroll office in Jonquière and transfer operations to Montreal. In the words of union president Alain Gagnon this is nothing less than a slap in the face to the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region.
Rio Tinto, which has recently acquired Quebec's Alcan aluminum company, is continuing to downsize its workforce, thereby disturbing the balance between what it gets out of the region and what it gives back in employment.
The Conservatives, in particular the minister responsible for the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region, are partly responsible for this situation. By not putting any conditions on the acquisition of Alcan, such as the obligation to maintain a certain number of jobs, Rio Tinto Alcan can do whatever it wants and move our jobs to other regions while reaping great benefits from our natural resources. The Conservatives in my region should be ashamed of themselves today.