Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. This gives me the opportunity to explain that, before the Conservative government implemented a program for older workers, the municipality of Huntingdon introduced a pilot project, thanks to the leadership of the mayor, Stéphane Gendron, and the cooperation of all the community partners.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I will split my time with the hon. member for Rivière-du-Nord. I am pleased to take part in the debate on the Speech from the Throne. Obviously, this speech, delivered on Tuesday, does not meet the five conditions set by the Bloc Québécois which—and I am glad to point this out—reflect the values and interests of Quebeckers.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party seems to give priority to the militarization of the Arctic to protect Canada's sovereignty. My question is for the hon. member. Would it not be more logical to resort to diplomacy, with the support of good icebreakers, in order to protect Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic?

Metallurgy Industry  Mr. Speaker, when Rio Tinto took over Alcan, the company agreed to Quebec's demands, but the federal minister was negligent and declined to use the powers available to him under the Investment Canada Act to ensure that the transaction would benefit Canada. Would the minister acknowledge that if he really cared about the well-being of workers, he would have demanded that Rio Tinto guarantee the job level and commit to doing a certain amount of its aluminum processing right here?

Metallurgy Industry  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Minister of Industry is not the only one guilty of negligence. The Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec is also guilty of abandoning millions of workers to their fate in my region and even in his very own region.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government eliminated the EnerGuide program, claiming that it was inefficient, and then it proposed a poorly thought out version of the same program a year later. Now it is difficult for people anywhere—the North Shore, the Gaspé, even in Longueuil—to find an accredited evaluator.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, it seems like the minister is not up to date on his file. In addition to having transition problems, the program is unfair because it is not available to all of the people of Quebec. What does the minister plan to do to ensure that all Quebeckers in all regions have access to the program within a reasonable period of time, thereby respecting their desire to help reduce greenhouse gases?

François Boyer  Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute today to François Boyer, an admirable man who played an important role in developing ties between the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and Quebeckers. I was deeply saddened to hear of Mr. Boyer's passing. He was a dedicated, jovial man whose positive outlook was simply infectious.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister maintains that Canada's position on reducing greenhouse gases is similar to that of the European Union. That is simply not true, and the numbers prove it. How can the Prime Minister make such fabricated statements when, in comparing the 2050 target proposed by Germany against the Canadian target, there is an average difference of more than 80 megatonnes?

Canadian Heritage  Mr. Speaker, this government wants to rewrite the story of the sponsorship scandal and repeat the same errors committed by the Liberals by attempting, once again, to unleash its propaganda in school boards by making available to children a game called HistoriCanada. After last year's outcry against its interference, does the government not understand that its propaganda is not welcome in schools?

Canadian Heritage  Mr. Speaker, while Telefilm Canada has a serious shortage of funds for Quebec film and the Minister of Canadian Heritage refuses to support festivals, $750,000 was found for the Historica foundation to flood schools—nevertheless the responsibility of Quebec and the provinces—with a game that rewrites history.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Sherbrooke, for his question. It is important to realize that there have already been attempts by different businesses to export and market water. In each case it was not a profitable operation. Water is the future and is Quebec's and Canada's blue gold.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Brome—Missisquoi for his question. We spent three months taking a very careful look at the oil sands and what we saw leaves us to conclude that it is entirely possible that there are informal negotiations going on. We often hear about the water shortage in the United States.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise and speak to the motion by my colleague from Sherbrooke. I wish to inform you that I will be sharing my time with the member for Berthier—Maskinongé. I wish to thank the member for Sherbrooke and congratulate him for having proposed this motion to the Standing Committee on International Trade.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague in the NDP on her speech. We both sit on the Standing Committee on Natural Resources and we often have similar views on how important it is protect our natural resources and manage them well. However, I do not agree with her proposal to establish a national water policy.