Lorne Everett Greenaway (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of State (Forestry and Mines))
Progressive Conservative
Mr. Greenaway:
Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the speech of the Hon. Member, and it is the same one that he gave the other day.
Is the Hon. Member for Kamloops-Shuswap (Mr. Riis) aware that the Western Diversification office in British Columbia is willing to send out officials from that Office to conduct one day seminars on western economic diversification? It may be that the Hon. Member would be interested in arranging for such a seminar to be held in Kamloops.
I had occasion to visit the Thompson Nicola Valley Manufacturers Trade Fair held in Kamloops last fall, and I can readily agree that it is a good organization. I am at a loss as to why the Western Diversification Office has not funded that organization.
I am wondering what the Hon. Member has done to bring about a positive decision on funding. Has he visited the Western Diversification Office in Vancouver to lobby on behalf of that organization; has he talked to the various Ministers involved?
I stand ready to offer any assistance I can provide in terms of getting funding for that organization. Certainly, it is a worth-while organization and should be one which is representative of what is required by the WDO.
Subtopic: WESTERN ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ACT