The Environment  The Montreal Exchange is not alone in asking for fixed targets so we do not miss the boat. Yesterday, the National Assembly unanimously passed a motion supporting the establishment of a carbon exchange in Montreal. Is the Minister of the Environment planning to give a positive response to those who are telling her that setting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets is urgent so the carbon exchange can be established without delay?

Robert A. Boyd  Mr. Speaker, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Robert A. Boyd, a former president of Hydro-Québec. Mr. Boyd was an outstanding francophone engineer who witnessed the nationalization of electricity and the creation of the crown corporation, Hydro-Québec. Over a period of 37 years, he climbed the corporate ladder, ending his career as the corporation's president and chief executive officer.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister is working on sabotaging Kyoto, he is catering to the major oil companies by giving them accelerated capital cost allowances of up to 100% for oil sands development in Alberta, which has resulted in unprecedented development for the industry.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the tax advantages for the oil companies turned out to be strong economic incentives when the price per barrel of oil was low. At the current price, they are no longer an incentive, they are a gift. Can the Minister of Natural Resources understand that today the sector in need of incentives is that of renewable energies such as wind or hydroelectricity, and that he should take back his unnecessary gifts in order to promote their accelerated development?

Autism Spectrum Disorder  Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciated my hon. colleague's speech. I know children who have autism and I know how hard it can be for their parents. My question for the member is this: does he have any support for his motion? Can he tell us if the Autism Society Canada, for instance, has written to him to indicate its support for the motion?

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, I was on the Hill last Wednesday with unemployed people from throughout Quebec who had come to demand a major overhaul of the employment insurance program and to express their disappointment regarding the government's new program for older workers. The group included a number of older workers from the textile industry in Huntingdon.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I can tell the minister that the program has in fact been suspended. The environment commissioner told us so. Wind energy not only represents $7.5 billion in investments in Quebec over the next 10 years, it also creates 43,000 jobs, according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, after Kyoto, the government is getting ready to kill programs relating to clean energy, such as wind energy, by freezing all the money earmarked for them since April. Yet in Quebec alone, this form of energy will require $7.5 billion in investments over the next 10 years.

Older Workers  Mr. Speaker, the government's so-called worker assistance program leaves behind a large number of workers, including textile and garment industry workers in badly affected regions. If the government really wants to protect the interests of textile and garment industry workers, like those in Huntingdon, why did it not negotiate safeguards, as the United States and the European Union did?

Older Workers  Mr. Speaker, the program announced yesterday will not be of any use in truly helping the workers. The Minister is fooling herself. When you are over 55 and you have spent the better part of your life in a textile factory, it is almost impossible. The Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages can go ahead and urge workers not to look back anymore, but to look ahead all she wants.

Forestry Industry  Mr. Speaker, there are countless supplementary measures that could be implemented to support and stimulate the forest industry, including biomass energy production. Implementing incentives for using wood by-products in bioenergy production would benefit us in three ways: the industry would have access to clean energy; it would protect the environment; and, last but not least, it would show the Minister of Labour that the two are not mutually exclusive.

Forestry Industry  The Minister of Labour claims that protecting the environment hurts forestry. One of the Bloc Québécois' many proposals demonstrates that that is not so. Will the Minister of Natural Resources admit that a refundable tax credit for improving green technology in the forestry sector would have a definite positive effect on both the forest industry and the environment?

Transport  Mr. Speaker, we were surprised to learn that Transport Canada is investigating the journalist who revealed weaknesses in the Montreal airport's security system. Rather than investigate the journalist who brought these flaws to light, does the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities not think that his department would be better off investigating the problem itself?

Transport  Mr. Speaker, I will give another example of inconsistency. At the port of Montreal security is deemed so important that containers declared empty are not checked and security agents busy themselves searching the lunch boxes of the dock workers. Although security problems are known to exist, containers are not inspected and excessive emphasis is placed on the workers.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from across the floor for his question. I personally visited a textile factory and met women and men aged 56 to 59 who have been working 35 or 40 years in that factory. They use the term “older worker” themselves. After having worked hard in a physical job, for a scant salary and meagre benefits, these people do not present themselves as young, healthy workers.