Mr. Speaker, first, let me assure the hon. member for Lévis that the minister is very aware of the situation involving the Lévis station and he is intent on resolving the matter soon.
As the hon. member knows full well, the problem of the Lévis station has been around for a number of years and there are many divergent opinions on what to do about it. Consultations with stakeholders and local community leaders have been ongoing since 1990. Because of the very divergent views on the subject of the Lévis station and the Montmagny line, a number of extensions have already been obtained in order to keep this station open.
First and foremost, the government's primary consideration is to ensure that any solution is safe and that it minimizes the inconvenience for the roughly 17,000 rail travellers who use the Lévis station every year.
I know the hon. member for Lévis is anxious about the situation in his riding, but I am sure that, at the same time, he would not want the minister to make any decision without first considering all the possible options.
The minister is extremely concerned about looking at all the options in order to make the right decision. For this reason, the minister wrote some time ago to Mr. Ivany, the president of VIA Rail and asked for opinions with respect to the Lévis station.
Let me assure my hon. friend that his concerns have not gone unnoticed. On behalf of the Minister of Transport, I would like to assure him that a decision on this matter will be made shortly. In the meantime if the member learns of any opinions from his constituents at his hearings next week, please, I would ask him to forward them to the minister because I know that he is open to suggestions.