Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question and his anecdote about Saint-Basile. I agree that this can cause problems. However, to give hon. members a better idea of where to find Saint-Basile, it is located in Portneuf, not in Quebec City. Perhaps that will help a little the next time.
It is of the utmost importance that we continue to try to work with CN and CP to improve rail service across the country. I cannot stress this enough. In my speech, I mentioned that there are several large companies in my riding that depend on the rail system in the region to ship and receive the materials they need for production.
I am thinking about Alcoa, among others. The manufacturing of aluminum requires the transportation of a huge amount of raw and other materials. Every shipment that arrives late or not at all harms our companies' productivity and Canada's competitiveness on world markets.
This problem must be resolved quickly so that our rural communities, such as those in my riding and in the ridings of many of my colleagues from all parties, can continue to grow, develop and retain jobs. These jobs are extremely important for our rural regions.