David Collenette

[Airline Industry, May 14th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, these matters are under review by the Minister of Finance and by the Ministry of Transport. We are very concerned about the state of the airline industry in Canada. However, I do not think the hon. member should mislead, even inadvertently, members of the House. We have to look at all of the external factors. The fact is that Canadian airlines are not alone in having these challenges.

[Public Safety Act, 2002, May 13th, 2003]

moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in with a further amendment.

[Infrastructure, May 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that there is a program under Transport Canada for highway infrastructure improvements and the Government of Alberta has signed that agreement. Certainly that particular stretch of highway, which we well know is a dangerous section, is eligible for funds, but really the matter has to be shared with the provincial government.

[Airline Industry, May 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the hon. member that Air Canada is now under CCAA process, which means the courts are supervising the transactions, including the issues of compensation, collective agreements and pensions. I would think that the hon. member should let the court do its job.

[Railway Transportation, May 6th, 2003]

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we have indeed studied the possibility of a high-speed link between Quebec City and Windsor. I hope to be able to make a statement on this subject very soon.

[St. Lawrence Waterway, May 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of challenges facing the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is an aging structure and obviously there has to be some reinvestment, but certainly the commercialization has worked. Costs have come down. There are problems faced by the shipowners. Certainly there are all manner of things that should be explored, including charges that the shipping companies have to bear.

All of these matters are under discussion. I would invite the hon. member to raise his concerns at the transport committee which has a subcommittee studying this very issue.

[St. Lawrence Waterway, May 6th, 2003]

Not at all, Mr. Speaker, and I think that our seaways have challenges for the future. We may have to invest or reinvest in seaways, but I think that this government's policy on seaway marketing has been successful.

[Infrastructure, May 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would inform the hon. member that the City of Windsor and the surrounding municipalities have had a lot of impact on the discussions that we have had with the Province of Ontario. Certainly nothing will be done that does not seem to receive favour with the local residents.

However we must move on. This has become an urgent priority. The Windsor gateway is being choked with traffic and the initiative announced by the Prime Minister and Premier Eves is one that the country needs and we will go forward.

[Airline Industry, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said on a number of occasions, we are looking at the issue of airport rents. I might remind the hon. member that when those airport authorities signed agreements with the crown, they did so with the full knowledge of what the terms would be on the life of those particular agreements.

In the real world sometimes people do not make profits. In the real world when we sign a deal, we sign a deal and we go into it knowing to what we are entitling ourselves and what the obligations are.

I would ask the hon. member to take a broader view of this and understand the whole context in which Canadian airlines are operating and the Canadian aviation industry is operating.

[Airline Industry, April 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member seems oblivious to the fact that the world economy has been under great stress. We have had the war in Iraq. In Canada we have had the threat of SARS.

This is not a Canadian phenomenon only. This is also an international problem, one that has been heralded by the fact that two major carriers in the United States are under bankruptcy protection and American Airlines is teetering on the balance of bankruptcy protection.

I think the hon. member should try to frame his questions in a larger context, understanding that this is a problem that is worldwide.