Manufacturing Industry  Mr. Speaker, the Bloc understands very well the manufacturing industry, as its workers will show in the next election. For the past year, the Bloc Québécois has been urging the government to take serious action to support the manufacturing industry and its workers. At a time when Canada's net exports are plummeting due to the economic slowdown in the United States, does the government not understand that the manufacturing industry needs much more than $1 billion over three years in order to go through this crisis?

Manufacturing Industry  Mr. Speaker, Quebec's statistics institute confirmed yesterday that the manufacturing industry has not been the one with the largest number of jobs since 2005. In concrete terms, this means that, in Quebec, 79,000 jobs have been lost in that industry just in the years since the Conservatives took office.

Livestock Industry  Mr. Speaker, in the course of the debate, we have often heard that the opening of new markets in other countries, such as the Philippines or Korea, could be a solution to support or encourage producers. I find Koreans quite lucky to be able to eat Canadian beef, because at the IGA in Ormstown, I cannot buy any.

Livestock Industry  Mr. Speaker, I have no intention of giving the member opposite a history lesson, but this allows me to respond to his question and tell him that not only are pork and beef producers in the middle of a crisis, but all the problems currently related to the slaughter of steers in Quebec only add to the difficulties facing beef producers.

Livestock Industry  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The answer is rather simple. I think the Conservative government must take its responsibilities and listen to the pork and beef producers who have submitted practical, concrete and achievable solutions. It must also listen to the opposition members who also proposed concrete, achievable solutions.

Livestock Industry  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in this emergency debate. Frankly, if my colleagues in the House will permit me, I could perhaps continue in a better climate of silence, in a respectful climate.

Livestock Industry  It is getting late and I was saying that I am quite proud to take part in this emergency debate. I want to commend the hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska, the official Bloc Québécois agriculture critic, for launching this debate. He deserves a round of applause. Here we have a strong opposition party like the Bloc Québécois truly engaging in the emergency debate on agriculture.

Livestock Industry  Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the speech by the member opposite. During the testimonies about the crisis in the beef and pork sectors, the committee was told that the costs paid by Canadian producers to comply with the rules and the new regulations are higher than what the American producers have to pay.

Livestock Industry  Mr. Speaker, I listened very carefully to the parliamentary secretary’s speech and must say that I was astonished. We have a chance to work together on the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, but I was stunned by his arrogance toward the opposition parties. All the parties here, whether the Liberals, the NDP or the Bloc, have their role to play.

Prebudget Consultations  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. He is absolutely right. As I said, I represent a manufacturing region. There is also a lot of market gardening in my region, and many of the seasonal workers in that industry are penalized because they do not qualify for benefits even though they pay into employment insurance.

Prebudget Consultations  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to this debate, especially as it affects my riding, Beauharnois—Salaberry, in particular. Since 2005, some 2,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost. We are talking about almost 1,000 jobs at Goodyear Valleyfield. What is more, recently, the last steer slaughterhouse in Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague—in fact, the only one of its kind in Quebec—went bankrupt.

Medical Isotopes  Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that MDS Nordion informed the Department of National Resources about the medical isotope crisis on November 22, 2007. If we are to believe the minister, before he found out about the emergency, MDS Nordion knew, the hospitals knew, the doctors knew.

Medical Isotopes  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the minister is trying to put the blame on everyone but himself. With the Conservatives, it is always someone else's fault. Will the minister admit that his vendetta with the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission was an attempt to sideline anyone who does not see eye to eye with him on nuclear energy?

La Face Cachée de la Pomme  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of my Bloc Québécois colleagues, it is my pleasure to congratulate La Face Cachée de la Pomme, a cidery in Hemmingford in the riding of Beauharnois—Salaberry, which received many gold medals in 2007 for its products, including Neige ice cider. The cidery has already won more awards in 2008.

Prebudget Consultations  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague, the hon. member for Trois-Rivières, on her excellent speech. She is the Bloc Quebecois industry critic and I can assure this House that industry and indeed all workers are well represented by this member. All the solutions put forward by the Bloc Québécois have been reviewed and, more importantly, endorsed by industry.