Mr. Speaker, there is no shortage of bumpkins who have lost their shirts in dodgy money deals, but the minister traded away Falconbridge and Inco, Canada's international mining leaders, and he got nothing in return.
Now Xstrata is shutting down the Timmins smelter. We are not just losing 1,000 jobs; we are losing the copper and refining capacity of Ontario. Once that capacity is gone, it is not coming back.
Will the minister admit, at least, that with Xstrata and Vale his government blew it and our communities are paying the price?