Mr. Speaker, speaking of contracts, this year the job of resupplying fuel to Canada's Arctic sovereignty patrol vessels went to, get this, Europe.
Conservatives think that it is fair that European firms can operate in our north without having to use Canadian ships, without having to pay Canadian duties, without having to use Canadian crews or to pay Canadian wages. The rules for Canadian companies, however, are the exact opposite. Effectively, a multi-million dollar subsidy continues to go to European firms to out-compete and replace Canadian companies on Arctic supply.
Will this be fixed by requiring that Canadian government contracts use Canadian registered vessels?