Mr. Speaker, clearly, the answer is certainly not satisfactory. They are still talking about December 2007 when it is now April 2009. Those are two different years and the money is still not there. It has not be paid and it cannot be seen. Why have they dragged their feet so long?
The other thing is that it was an investment. How is it that suddenly that investment in that company gets turned into a loan? An investment is a contribution to ensure survival. We are not talking here about a repayable loan; they were talking investment. One wonders whether, when all is said and done, when ACOA made the announcement—when his predecessor made the announcement—perhaps the expectation was that one or more of the three maritime provinces would not manage to make its contribution and then they could just let the agreement slide. But that was not the case.
When are we going to see this situation settled and when will the money be put on the table so that the producers can have a guarantee that this slaughterhouse, the only one in the Maritimes, will continue to operate?