Mr. Speaker, during my tenure as minister of state for western economic diversification, I completely remodelled the department in five key themed areas. They included skilled labour training and ensuring that there was a better pathway for the commercialization of the research and development that was happening in western Canada. That included a $100-million fund to see process developments and prototypes commercialized and put into markets. I worked with first nations communities to ensure that first nations and aboriginal communities in western Canada had equal access to the economic opportunities created in western Canada. I worked to ensure that trading investment opportunities with new markets were opened up to western Canadian trade groups and producers. I also worked with the western Canadian aerospace sector to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises had access to our supply chain.
However, I also stood up for my constituents day in and day out and said that the argument around Canada's energy sector was not a good versus evil debate; it is a sector we should embrace throughout the country, because it creates jobs. We also saw the lowest federal tax burden in over 50 years, which increased investment.
I think that is a pretty good record and is one I am more than happy to stand on.