Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Minister. Welcome to the committee.
I sincerely think you'd have us believe that you've been inducted into the club of the misquoted and that it's all the media's fault. I don't agree with your reading of the situation. All of Quebec read the statement you made to an audience of public transit supporters on February 12 last. I think you clearly stated your intention to stop investing in roads and, while you were at it, also to avoid investing a cent in construction of the third link.
I don't know whether you realize it, but the people of Les Etchemins, Bellechasse, Lévis, Montmagny, Lotbinière, Beauce, Portneuf and elsewhere viewed your statements as a slap in the face. I'd like to remind you that the Quebec government has engaged CDPQ Infra to analyze overall mobility in the Communauté métropolitaine de Québec, including the third link.
The third link should be viewed as a highway link. It isn't a whimsical notion, Minister. To deny that is to ignore the reality of our communities. It's irresponsible to announce that you plan to stop investing in our roads when you're aware of the reality of rural areas, where motor vehicles are a necessity, not an option. I think your view of this matter is dogmatic and based on a single model, the urban model.
I'm going to help you understand the reality I live in.
Minister, can you tell me how many kilometres one has to travel from Saint-Cyprien in the extreme south of my riding, near the U.S. border, to undergo cancer treatment at the hospital in Lévis, in the extreme north?