My question is to the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. A number of people in our constituency and across the north are concerned about the closure of the Xstrata smelter refinery in the city of Timmins. They have been writing you letters, and in those letters, they’ve been asking your government to intervene in some way in order to keep that facility open.

One of the suggestions is to follow the legislation that I put forward that would make changes to section 91 of the act in order to ensure that we get value added to the resources that we extract from the ground. What’s interesting is in your response on page 2 of the letters that you’ve been sending back you say, “It is important to note that no province in Canada has a law that dictates mandatory provincial processing.” Minister that’s not true. The reality is the province of Newfoundland has similar legislation to what it is that I’ve put forward, and other provinces have varying measures in order to get to that particular point.

Are you prepared to clarify by rewriting letters to people to say that, in fact, those provisions do—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Minister?

Hon. Michael Gravelle: In fact, I think the member does know that, indeed, no province has legislation which requires processing, and that does include Newfoundland and Labrador. We know that there are minerals coming from Voisey’s Bay that are being processed in Ontario at the Xstrata Falconbridge smelter. That is just a fact and he does know that.

We know that a significant amount—in fact, three quarters—of the iron ore that comes into our steel plants in Sault Ste. Marie and Hamilton comes from Labrador, Quebec, Minnesota and Michigan. So while there is a clause in their legislation that allows them to invoke that, there is no legislation that requires processing to be taking place in the province. I think the member understands that.

Let me just say once again that we are obviously incredibly concerned about the impact the Xstrata decision is having on the workers, and it’s something that we want to continue to work closely with you—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: What I understand is that you’re trying to confuse the issue. It’s quite simple; other provinces want to add value through those minerals and have different mechanisms in order to do so. The province of Newfoundland has what I’m proposing in section 91, an ability to say to companies such as Xstrata, “You will not shut down your refinery and you will refine and smelt those materials here.”

For you to write a letter to constituents across northern Ontario to say that is not the fact, that no other province does that, is false. So I ask you again: Are you prepared to retract what you have said by way of follow-up letters to these people, so that they clearly understand the facts for what they are and not what you’re making up?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I ask the honourable member to withdraw the comment, please.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: “Making up?” He made it up. It’s a fact.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Withdraw the comment, please.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Okay.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Just say, “I withdraw.”

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I withdraw.

Hon. Michael Gravelle: I certainly understand very, very well, as does the Premier, about what an incredibly difficult situation this is. The Premier met with Mick Davis, the global CEO of Xstrata, last week and he asked some pretty tough questions. In fact, we made it clear that we would like nothing better than to have Xstrata change their mind on this decision.

In terms of the situation in Newfoundland and Labrador, the fact is it’s a misconception that all materials from Voisey’s Bay have to be processed in Newfoundland, when we know that various parts are being shipped to Ontario for processing. We cannot close our borders without having a massive impact potentially on thousands of other workers in Ontario.

As I pointed out, in Newfoundland they do have a clause that they can choose to invoke, but they don’t invoke the clause in the case of other minerals. We’re going to continue to work with you. I was in Timmins last week, as you know, and we were able to make an announcement—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.