Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here today to remind the House that on March 9, I asked the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec why the Conservative government hijacked the mission of the Economic Development Agency of Canada, which is to promote job creation in our regions.
Currently, nearly 99% of the money that goes unspent is returned to the consolidated revenue fund. Instead of using that money for subsequent years, the government returns it to the consolidated revenue fund. The money is diverted from its purpose, which is to support economic development in the regions, such as the region of Drummond, which I represent.
That would encourage job creation in our regions. The money could have been used to improve facilities, such as the Drummondville airport, a place that could do with some improvement. The Drummond region is lucky to have some exciting economic organizations that work very hard and are very dynamic. For example, we have the Société de développement économique de Drummondville, the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Drummond, and Commerce Drummond, all of which are doing amazing work in our region and support the Drummondville airport expansion.
The runway has to be lengthened from 4,000 feet to 6,000 feet so that we can continue to attract investments and simulate job creation in Drummond. The people of Drummond are waiting for a response from the federal government and from the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec regarding their request to lengthen the Drummond airport runway and to improve the facilities there, which have aged over time. We expect a response from the minister, and we hope that he will not wait until the election campaign to make an announcement with a big photo op in Drummond. I hope the minister will do his job and make this announcement soon, before the election.
The City of Drummondville and the Drummondville economic development authority should be very proud of themselves. They have worked very hard to make the Drummondville airport more democratic and more accessible to everyone. Last year they organized an event called “Passion Avion” that opened up the airport's facilities to everyone for an entire day. People could take tours of the aircraft and go skydiving. There was an exhibit on vintage planes. The Drummondville air cadets, Drummond tourism and the City of Drummondville all had kiosks set up, and so on.
We were very proud of the “Passion Avion” event, which is being put on again this year as part of the many activities organized to celebrate Drummondville's 200th anniversary. It will be a magnificent event again this year. This time it will be held over two days, on August 29 and 30. I invite all aviation enthusiasts to attend. There will be two days of air shows at the Drummondville airport. I invite all aviation enthusiasts to come visit our beautiful city, Drummondville, during its 200th anniversary.
Of course, I hope that in 2015, the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec will announce that he is going to stop reducing and diverting money from the Economic Development Agency and will instead invest it in Drummond's facilities, such as the Drummondville airport. I hope to get an answer from my colleague here today.