Lawrence Cannon

[Trans-Labrador Highway, March 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact it is March 2 and we are working with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. I have had the opportunity to meet Minister Hickey to discuss this issue with him and the discussions are ongoing.

[Business of Supply, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, my colleague is absolutely right when he says that industrial clusters have been created. I remember it very clearly. Gérald Tremblay, the mayor of Montreal, worked very hard to create industrial clusters in Quebec. Obviously that was done against the recommendations of the Parti Québécois which, at the time, strongly opposed it. Similarly, everyone here in the House will remember the PQ was clearly opposed to hydroelectric development in Quebec. The member must remember that.

Today, there he stands trying to tell us that all the wrongs in Quebec, all the problems are caused by the federal government. I do not agree with that assertion, in fact I dispute it. He is right about Mirabel being a fiasco, however. We know that. The previous government had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in it. We acted. The member knows it, he congratulated us on it. We were able to restore those 11,000 acres to the farmers of the region—the riding he represents in this House—because we acknowledged that it was a fiasco. And here the member is trying to tell me that we do not defend Quebeckers' interests?

He should look at the Parti Québécois's track record, not now, but when it was in power. We could have a very interesting debate on that subject.

[Business of Supply, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, if the young member on the other side of the House has questions to ask, he should do so, but when I have the floor, he should keep quiet.

I want to tell my colleague that, indeed, they always play the pessimist card. It is always the defeatist card.

We on this side do not espouse such a view. On the contrary, we are convinced that Quebeckers have a better place within Canada, both economically and for quality of life. I will conclude on this.

[Business of Supply, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, throughout my political career, I have noticed that the approach and dialectics of the Bloc Québécois have not changed at all, whether it was about the Tricofil fiasco during the 1970s, the Gaspésia company and all the other incidents. Indeed, whenever the Parti Québécois government decided to get involved in an industrial initiative, it brought about a fiasco.

[Business of Supply, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague's question gets to the heart of his interpretation of the Bloc Québécois' role here.

As we know, I sat in the National Assembly. I defended the interests of Quebeckers and I represented the taxpayers. I have been in politics for 40 years, and I certainly do not need lessons from my hon. colleague.

However, I just want to say the following. The whole time I was in the National Assembly with my colleagues, I defended the interests of Quebec within Canada. We defended the interests of Quebec because we believed that Quebeckers could and should develop within Canadian federalism.

Why did we make that choice? We made it because the Quebeckers made it as well. They said no the first time, they said no the second time and they said yes to Canada. They effectively decided that they wanted to continue to pursue their development within Canada. The result is that we have an extremely strong and vigorous industry that competes on a world scale, and that, today, is not afraid of facing this competition.

That is why I am confident these companies will be able to fully obtain what they need to keep going. They will be able to compete, unlike my hon. colleagues in the Bloc Québécois, who see humiliation as the main principle and common denominator of their political activities. The more Quebeckers are humiliated, the happier the Bloc Québécois. But I feel differently. I think that Quebeckers are able to take on the roles and meet the challenges. And in this particular case, they will continue to do so.

[Business of Supply, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we are well acquainted with the Bloc Québécois expertise in the matter of railways. As you know, the Bloc wants to build a high-speed train service linking Quebec and New York. It would definitely be a light rail system because there would not be very many passengers on board.

The Bloc is now giving advice to the government about the aerospace industry. I imagine that it is just as pertinent. Not so long ago, for example, the House Leader of the Bloc Québécois said in this House, “...we will no longer have to pay for Canada's planes, we will buy our own and have them made where we see fit”. That is a very unequivocal comment.

So, I wonder where these Bloc Québécois planes will be built: in Roberval, their House leader's riding, or in Laurier—Sainte-Marie, the Bloc leader's riding? Perhaps I should add Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup to the Bloc Québécois's list of imaginary aerospace centres, to please the member who has moved the motion that is before us.

That is the beauty of being a Bloc Québécois member. You can say whatever you like, promise whatever you like, knowing that you will never have to make good on anything. It is also, at the very least, surprising—and I am being generous—to have the Bloc, whose main objective is to separate Quebec from Canada, place in jeopardy the economic security of all Quebeckers and claim to be the arbiter of regional development in Canada. That would be quite generous, thank you very much.

So, the pyromaniacs want to play firefighter. I would no more entrust the economic development of Canada to the Bloc than I would entrust the blood bank to Dracula. By the way, what economic spinoffs has the Bloc Québécois brought to Quebec City and to Quebec since it was founded, 17 years ago?

Everyone knows the answer: none. This is the economic record of a party that claims to represent the interests of Quebeckers: nothing accomplished, no investments made, and no jobs created.

We recognize those who contribute to the advancement of Quebec society based on their achievements. Quebeckers want action and tangible results, not just words and proclamations. The Bloc has done nothing because it can do nothing but talk.

Sure, it can start big debates like this one, but did it get a single bill passed or make a single project happen? No, of course not, because the Bloc is not the government. It will never be the government. Unlike them, in just a few months, the new government has addressed almost all of the major priorities it announced during the election. Most importantly, we have laid the foundations for a better future for the Quebec nation by defining a new open federalism that is already bearing fruit.

We are working to correct the fiscal imbalance, which is something the Bloc Québécois has been talking about a lot for years. But will the Bloc correct the fiscal imbalance? No, the current government will correct it. The Bloc's position, as articulated in the motion before us, is all the more absurd because it completely fails to acknowledge why we are making these military purchases.

We are not purchasing military equipment as part of an experiment in regional economic development. After 13 long years of Liberal neglect, we are buying strategic airlift to give the Canadian Forces better equipment so they can do their work at home and abroad more efficiently and safely.

The four planes we are now buying will, first and foremost, allow the rapid transportation of a large number of passengers or quantity of equipment over great distances in case of a national emergency or an international crisis. That is what we promised during the last election campaign and that is what we will deliver, because we keep our promises.

The Bloc's military policy, as articulated by its leader, deserves to be restated here in this House. The leader of the Bloc Québécois told party supporters that he wanted Quebec—an independent Quebec—to have a pacifist army. Imagine: a pacifist army. What about terrestrial aviation or a dry navy? Surely that would be less dangerous.

The contract announced today is not the first step in a procurement process whose industrial spinoffs will benefit all regions of the country. Future contracts will be awarded for tactical airlift, medium to heavy lift helicopters, joint support ships and medium sized logistics trucks.

Altogether, the military procurement initiatives that stem from the “Canada first” strategy will create some $13 billion in industrial spinoffs for Canada over the next 20 years. The commercial opportunities for Canadian businesses, and the aerospace and defence industry are therefore unprecedented. The joint strike fighter program, which our government signed on November 20, 2006, for example, gives Canadian businesses access to $8 billion for their industrial contribution to the program. Our government's investments in research and development projects will allow businesses to continue to innovate and benefit from the commercial opportunities presented to them.

Our primary objective with these procurements is to rebuild the Canadian Forces. We have worked with the aerospace and defence industries to make the best of the opportunities from these procurements.

In the case of some procurement projects, the government may specify minimum percentages of benefits for certain regions, for example, 10% each for the west, Atlantic Canada and Quebec. This provides the government a safeguard to ensure the contractors consider the excellent capacity that exists across all regions of the country.

It also emphasizes to bidders the importance of cross-Canada involvement when they undertake these projects. The minimums are set so that they will not interfere with market forces, meaning the companies only undertake commitments that make good business sense to them.

Our goal is to foster long term sustainable business relationships that will benefit both the Canadian industry and the prime contractor.

I would also like to mention that Boeing and Pratt & Whitney, the companies that will carry out the contract in question, have made a significant commitment to Canadians.

For every dollar these companies receive in acquisitions, an equal amount will be invested in Canada. Thus, this means a 100% return on the investment. This translates into new opportunities for our aerospace and defence industries, as well as for our workers throughout Canada.

Our policy ensures greater industrial competitiveness for Canada, greater access to markets, better marketing and more investments in advanced technologies. My hon. colleague, the Minister of Industry, specified that this policy is non-negotiable. As he recently said: “We insist that every dollar that companies receive from our defence procurement is matched by a dollar of economic activity in this country—in other words, a Canadian investment that delivers dollar for dollar.”

All regions of Canada will be able to benefit. Of course, Quebec, and especially the Montreal area, where the core of our aerospace industry is located, will benefit from our policy to modernize our military equipment. The members of the Bloc Québécois have no fear of being ridiculed. With this motion, they are telling this House that Quebec industry can only succeed if they are supported specifically by the Canadian government.

If I am able to attend the major meeting of the aerospace industry next year at Le Bourget, France, I think I will bring along my colleague opposite. He will see that Quebec aerospace companies are among the most dynamic, the most respected and the most efficient in the world. Given that our companies are so successful internationally, there is absolutely no reason why they cannot continue to succeed in Canada.

Even Aéro Montréal, which represents only Quebec companies, was realistic enough to congratulate the Canadian government for equipping the armed forces with equipment appropriate to its national and international obligations.

According to the chairman of Aéro Montréal, “In our opinion, the related program of industrial and regional benefits is an excellent instrument for economic development in the strategic industrial sectors of aerospace and defence”.

But it is too much to hope that the Bloc Québécois recognizes the rationale for our purchases and the resulting spinoffs. Naturally, that is very naive thinking because the Bloc Québécois does not believe in Canada. It does not believe in the mission of our armed forces. But Canada's new government will defend Canada and will support the men and women who are prepared to fight to defend our values and our interests. We will continue to take concrete action in the interest of Quebeckers.

[Aviation Safety, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to review and listen to parliamentarians' deliberations that took place yesterday. This expert's testimony could not have been clearer. He said that the proposed system, the system that is now in place, will improve transportation safety. Personally, I think that safety is the most important thing. We will keep doing what we are doing.

[Aviation Safety, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to explain to my honourable colleague that the proposed changes will improve the aviation system and safety nationwide.

The new system is an add-on, an umbrella, that adds to the existing system. It is important to understand that we have not reduced the number of inspectors. On the contrary, we have raised it. We have also found that the number of accidents has decreased.

[Municipalities, February 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that before I came to this House, I was a town councillor lobbying the previous government to be able to get money for the cities and municipalities. Finally, it came to reason, but now I see another flip-flop on its part. The Liberals want to once again change their opinion on where they want to go with that file. We will act on that issue.

[Municipalities, February 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, on numerous occasions I have had the opportunity of mentioning to hon. members of this House that over the last couple of months we have been in discussions with the provinces and the territories on this specific issue, as well as the Canadian Federation of Municipalities.

However, I will remind members of this House that it was the Conservative Party of Canada that at the time pushed for a gas tax so that it could flow to the municipalities, not the previous government.