Hon. Terry M. Mercer:

Honourable senators, the attack on rural Canada and Atlantic Canada continues by this government. Recently, 50 economic development agencies in Atlantic Canada were notified that the federal portion of their operational funding will be cut by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Although this cut may eliminate some duplication and overlap of funding between organizations, it leaves the rural community in the dark. Over this next year, those rural organizations will be spending a fair amount of their time trying to figure out how to make up the loss of federal dollars by letting their employees go.

For a government that claims to be creating jobs, why is it taking away the funding that will help save employees in rural Canada from being fired? Why is it leaving rural Atlantic Canada in the dust with little help to sustain itself?

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