Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, when I put my hand up to speak to this motion, I was in the position that I was not going to support the motion. After hearing the Premier speak, I don't know. I certainly think that there is every bit of reason why we should support this motion. I don't agree with the way this deal was brokered with the companies. I think there were other avenues, and for the Premier to say that if we hadn't have done this and we don't do this there wouldn't be a cutting and polishing industry in the North, I cannot believe that, knowing full well that there were companies willing to set up cutting and polishing plants in the North that didn't need any loan guarantees from the government. I am not convinced that we wouldn't have a cutting and polishing plant. So I think those are kind of scary tactics to be using.
I know that we are into this deal and we are probably going to have to pay anyway. The money is going to have to come from somewhere, and that is really unfortunate. I
am not going to support the motion, but I am certainly in full support of sending a very strong message to government that we don't support these kinds of deals and that we are going to be watching very closely, and that the Members on this side should have been involved. I think if we were notified and involved somewhat in setting the loan guarantees, then we should have been involved somewhat in coming to some kind of agreement that we are going to forgive $800,000 in interest payments.
So I have to state for the record that I really don't appreciate some of the comments that were made, it is kind of scaring us to try and support this thing. I don't believe that we would not have a cutting and polishing industry simply because of this deal. Having said all of that, I am not going to support the motion, but I hope that the government does get the message. Thank you, Madam Chair.