Evidence of meeting #40 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was projects.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Lois Brown Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Thank you, Minister, for being here.
I've had the opportunity to do quite a number of funding announcements for various ministers in the GTA. My Liberal colleagues would be very pleased to know that many of them have been in the City of Toronto, with three of them this weekend, actually.
I would like to ask you about how so much of what we do--everything we do--is contingent on the provinces and municipalities coming to the table. Could you advise the committee of how the federal government is working together with them and of what we're doing to ensure these moneys get out the door and that we work with both the provinces and municipalities to ensure everybody gets their share?
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
John Baird Conservative Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
I think the one positive part of this past year, with the downturn in the economy, has been that every province and territory, without exception, has worked very well with the government. My history with the McGuinty government was not always positive and rosy, but his government has been a great partner, particularly on infrastructure.
My former counterpart—I was his critic four years ago, sitting two swords' lengths across—and I have been able to work very well together. Our staffs and our officials have been able to work well together. When you're dealing with intergovernmental discussions, you never get everything done as quickly as you'd like, but it's been about 10 times faster than previous new infrastructure programs. There's been great cooperation.
Frankly, Canadians don't just want that to happen--they expect it, particularly at a difficult time. That's been the case in Newfoundland and Labrador. The first province in which we allocated all the infrastructure money was with Danny Williams' government. We haven't had problems. There was one noticeable hiccup with it in the City of Toronto, but we worked very well with Mayor Miller. We have more than 500—now 501—infrastructure projects going on in the City of Toronto, some more exciting than others, but we hope they'll lead to job creation in Toronto.
We announced a $60 million project yesterday. They've already started work on it. They've committed to getting it done by the end of March 2011.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
The issue has always been how many jobs are being created by these projects. We want to narrow that down. I'd like to share my time with Mr. Kennedy to see whether we can continue that discussion.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
I would like to know whether we could table the information that the ministry is putting out today. What is the basis for the claims being made by Mr. Day and others? Is there some documentation that could be shared today? There are numbers being thrown around about progress in terms of jobs being created by projects.
What is the information that supports that and can it be tabled for the committee today?
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
The spokesperson for your department. There are numbers of 43% and so on being put forward. I'm just asking whether you can give us the documentation. You've told us you don't want to look at the provincially collected job creation numbers. Where is the information coming from that you have 43% and other numbers?
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Okay.
Let me ask about that if I have your ear, Minister. I want to note that your chief of staff has denied or blocked briefings for me with the ministry six times since September 14. Will you, here in front of the committee, agree that I can be briefed by the committee when requesting information?
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
All right. That's fine. That's the question I asked.
What I want to ask you next, then—
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
John Baird Conservative Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
We have a great working relationship with 99% of opposition members of Parliament—
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Gerard Kennedy Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Minister, we only have you for a few minutes. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you why in fact the number of dollars that you have allocated this year is now changed. This is the book in September and now it's $1 billion less that you say you're going to spend this year. So that's clearly as a result of your failed stimulus program. You're not getting the money out the way you promised you would in the three other reports.
Can you tell us, Minister, did you have any say in this? Maybe it's the Ministry of Finance saying that you're not spending the money and therefore it's gone.
But I think, Mr. Minister, that you have claimed everything is working fine and jobs are being created immediately. You won't table any job information data, but now there's money data saying that you're not going to spend the money this year.
Can you document, can you give us—
December 2nd, 2009 / 4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
On a point of order, Mr. Chairman, I'll just read from the routine motions of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. I'll quote the time for opening remarks and the questioning of witnesses: That witnesses be given 10 minutes for their opening statement; that for the questioning of witnesses, 7 minutes be allocated to each party for the first round, and that for all subsequent rounds, 5 minutes be allocated to each party for their members who have not yet spoken, starting with the Official Opposition, and any further time allowed will be allocated equally between each opposition party at the discretion of the Chair.
Mr. Chair, it's very straightforward and very obvious that this member has already spoken and had a time allocation. There are many members around this table who have not spoken.
These motions were adopted on November 15, 2007. Again, after our subsequent meeting, I would suggest that as a result there are other members around the table who would like to have an opportunity to speak.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Joe Volpe Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
While I appreciate the parliamentary secretary's intervention, I've not yet spoken. All I did was to say that I was going to share my time with Mr. Kennedy, so I think he's well within his bounds.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
If I may add, I think it's been accepted in this committee that if the rounds of questions are handed off to the same member we've accepted it as a rule here, and I will continue to do that.
Mr. Kennedy, you have three minutes.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Mr. Chair, if I may, on a point of order, just to be clear, very obviously Mr. Kennedy shows up less than any other person around this table--
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
--and as a result, it seems very strange that he would receive most of the time to question one of our guests for whom we very infrequently have time to have here.
As a point of order, Mr. Chair, I think it should be governed by the routine motions. Quite frankly, Mr. Kennedy should either show up more or have less time.
