Pablo Rodriguez

[Mont Tremblant Airport, March 4th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Mont Tremblant International Airport, the third largest airport in Quebec, is a very important economic development tool for the Upper Laurentians. However, daily customs charges that were $374 in 2006 are now $1,100. The airport cannot sustain that financial burden. Not to mention that it is the only airport in Canada forced to pay the customs charges for its transborder passengers.

Why is the minister doing nothing to address this situation? Why does he want to punish this region already hard hit by the forestry crisis?

[Regional Economic Development, February 8th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec has consistently shown his ineffectiveness and powerlessness. In the Magog area, more than 3,000 jobs have been lost in the past five years. In the Centre-du-Québec region, the mayors of Sainte-Eulalie and Saint-Léonard-d'Aston are still waiting for concrete action.

Will the minister ever understand that empty rhetoric, with no new funding, means nothing? Why is he never there when Quebec needs him?

[The Conservative Government, February 6th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, this is a pretty dismal second anniversary, I would say, for the Conservative government. For a party that ran on a platform of accountability and trustworthiness, it has a long record of broken promises and missed opportunities.

This government had promised to respect official languages, something that is at the heart of our identity. Since taking office, however, the Conservatives have launched attack upon attack on bilingualism. They have cancelled the court challenges program and weakened bilingualism both on military bases and in the armed forces in general.

The Conservatives had promised to maintain the level of funding for the Canada Council once elected, but we soon found out that culture matters little to this government, which quickly cut the budgets of museums, assistance programs and international initiatives.

When it comes to defending the fundamental elements of our culture, which define our distinct identity, the Conservatives have not hesitated to renege on their promises. And that is something the Canadian people will remember.

[Manufacturing and Forestry Sectors, February 4th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, over and over we have challenged the Conservative government to put its money where its mouth is. We asked it to stop using laid off forestry and manufacturing workers as hostages and to stop linking its bill on the community development trust to its budget. The Conservatives keep saying, “It's impossible. It has to be in the budget”.

Does the government now admit it was wrong and that we, the official opposition, were right from the start?

[Manufacturing and Forestry Sectors, February 4th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, we have called the government to task on several occasions for making hostages of the workers laid off in the manufacturing and forestry industries. We have challenged it to quickly table a bill for the community development trust. It told us that it was impossible and that we had to wait for the budget.

Will it finally admit today that we were right and that it was wrong from the beginning?

[Manufacturing Industry, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, they are all excited today. They missed me.

What is the government saying to the workers laid off by Belgo in Trois-Rivières, Donnacona in the Quebec City area, and Bowater in Gatineau?

It is saying, “Since you no longer have jobs or any income, wait. Wait for the budget; wait for the elections; wait.” Why does it say that? Because the government wants to play petty politics at the expense of the workers. It is a heartless government.

What is it waiting for to take action? Let it introduce its bill now and we will pass it.

[Manufacturing Industry, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, what is the government saying to the workers laid off—

[Airbus, December 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, it gets even worse, much worse.

The Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics also heard that commissions from the Airbus purchase, the Bear Head project and the purchase of Coast Guard helicopters ended up in the same Swiss bank account.

Mr. Mulroney's $300,000 came from this big, questionable pile of dirty money. Will the Prime Minister ensure that the public inquiry examines every aspect of the Bear Head project, the Coast Guard helicopter agreement and the Airbus purchase, including those who benefited?

[Airbus, December 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the $300,000 that Brian Mulroney received from Mr. Schreiber in 1993 came from a bank account containing $4 million in commissions paid by Thyssen.

This money existed only because Brian Mulroney's government signed an agreement with Thyssen for the Bear Head project in 1988. If Mr. Mulroney had not signed that agreement, he would not have had a comfortable retirement.

Can the Prime Minister promise Canadians that the public inquiry will examine all aspects of the Bear Head project, including those who benefited from it?

[Regional Economic Development, December 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the minister himself has not yet answered a single question. The minister seems incapable of understanding that his mandate is to support development in all regions of Quebec. I do not know why he finds this so hard to understand. This is not just about helping regions where the Conservatives hope to get elected.

The strong dollar is making it extremely difficult for manufacturing businesses in Montérégie, in the Laurentians and elsewhere to stay afloat, yet the minister only cares about his own region. Are there now two classes of Quebeckers: those who vote for the minister and those who do not? Are these second-class Quebeckers supposed to fend for themselves?