Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and I salute him. If I may make a pun on his name, I would say that he is very “generous” with his comments, and I am humbled by them. This is a red-letter day.
I appreciate the way the member operates. I think we are both clear-headed. We come from the same region. We experience the same situations. I wish to salute the fine people of Témiscouata, whom he represents. I was the one who represented them proudly and with dignity for five years. Of course, while I still carry them with me in my heart, due to the redistribution, they are no longer in my riding. I hope my colleague takes the time to explore this spectacular region and say hello to everyone there.
As I said, there is next to nothing in the budget for the Lower St. Lawrence. My colleague put the question to the minister in English. I do not know whether she does not understand French, whether she understands English better, or whether she is more inclined to follow orders when she gets them in English, but I think we are largely in agreement.
Quebec's regions are completely left out of this budget. Once again, the focus is on objectives that have nothing to do with our realities and our priorities.