Translation of "Tempête en développement " (French → English) :

The turmoil on the financial market has had a negative effect on the risk capital market for early growth SMEs by tightening the availability of risk capital.

Mr. Speaker, while we share the member's concern with the volatility facing manufacturing and the forestry sectors in his province, we note that the larger Quebec economy remains very healthy, with the unemployment rate at a 33 year low of 6.8%.

Natural hazards: improvement of forecasting and integrated hazards — vulnerability — and risk assessments for disasters related to geological hazards (such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis) and climate (such as storms, droughts, floods, forest fires, landslides, avalanches and other extreme events) and their impact; development of early warning systems and improve prevention, mitigation and management strategies, also within a multi-risk approach.

Financial assistance for the economic regeneration of the storm-hit areas may be forthcoming from the Structural Funds and from the Community's rural development policy, e.g. for forestry and the storage of timber.

These items include $350 million for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada for the Aboriginal Healing Strategy, an element of " Gathering Strength - Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan" announced in January 1998; $182.2 million for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Defence, and the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the regions of Quebec for the disastrous January 1998 ice storm; and $105.4 million for the Department of National Defence for payments to the provinces under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements, for assistance regarding other natural disasters, including the 1996 Saguenay and 1997 Manitoba floods.

Mr. Marcel St-Pierre, Manager, Market Development and Commercialization, Satellite Operations, Canadian Space Agency: From what I recall, the NOAA system in the U.S. had been tracking tropical storms, and I think there were some warnings; it was a major storm.