Mr. Speaker, the government does not care about the needs of northern Ontario. There is no mention of FedNor in yesterday's federal budget. The community futures program drops from $21.8 million to $8.5 million, and the northern Ontario development program is down $1 million from last year.
Is this the government's definition of commitment toward the people of the north?
In order to better serve the needs of northern Ontario, FedNor needs to become a stand-alone agency. Is the industry minister heading to Sudbury today to deliver this good news, or is he going to tell the people that these decisions about the north will now be made in the south?