Madam Speaker, I hope that the adjournment debate will help clarify some things.
First, I would like to take this opportunity to commend my colleagues who are here in the House. The Bloc Québécois team is the biggest team in the House this evening. I am very pleased to see them here. They say it is always the best who leave first, but that is not true in this case.
Last Wednesday, during question period, I asked the government some questions about why there is no real policy in this regard. Of course, there has been some sporadic assistance, given at certain times, a little bit of money allocated on an ad hoc basis. However, the real question is, why is there no real policy?
Why is this industry not mentioned in the throne speech? It seems to me that a post-pandemic throne speech should mention the industries that are struggling. Unfortunately, the answers were completely unsatisfactory. The government said, among other things, that it was working hard for Canadians. However, we would like the government to make real commitments regarding the aerospace industry.
My humble opinion is that Canada could learn from Quebec when it comes to the aerospace industry. Quebec could serve as an inspiration, since it has had an aerospace policy for nearly 20 years. On top of that, it offers specialized workforce training, makes risk-sharing investments in major projects, offers a tax credit that is more appropriate for the sector than federal programs, and offers support to SMEs in the aerospace sector to help them integrate into their clients' supply chains. It has an integrated policy that has supported the development of the entire cluster. Since the sector is undergoing a radical transformation and is in a critical phase given the dismantling of Bombardier, Quebec is currently reviewing its policy, and consultations are under way. It is taking a proactive approach.
Still, there are certain things that a province cannot do alone. Ottawa needs to get on the same page. Sad to say, all we get now is radio silence. Any time we ask a question about it, we get no answer.
The aerospace industry is struggling, and it deserves real support. All members know that this is a massive and very important industry that includes 220 businesses in Quebec, 200 of which are SMEs. Since small businesses are the lifeblood of economic development in Quebec, we must give them all the support they need.
The context of the pandemic has come up often. A number of people have talked about planes being grounded and no orders being placed. This will probably not change for a long while. During the pandemic, 4,000 jobs were lost in the aerospace industry. In some cases, the federal support, such as the research and development tax credit or the Canada emergency wage subsidy, were not in tune with the reality. We, of course, fully supported the Canada emergency wage subsidy.
All of this shows that the aerospace industry has completely fallen off of Ottawa's radar. This major, crucial industry tends to be left out when the government is developing programs that should be adapted in a pandemic.