House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 54% of the vote.
Transportation February 21st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I feel the same way as my colleague who just asked the question.
At the federal level, we definitely have jurisdiction over the criminal act of dangerous driving, but the provinces and territories are responsible for fines and demerit points for those who use cell phones while driving. Personally, I would encourage the provinces and territories to introduce penalties that reflect the severity of the actions in question.
Rail Transportation February 17th, 2017
Madam Speaker, the concept of high-frequency rail is one that we are looking into and have already invested $3.3 million in. That speaks to how much we value this study on the Québec City-Windsor corridor. Studying the viability of such a project is complex work. We are in the process of doing so. We are doing our homework and when we are finished, we will make an announcement.
Taxation February 17th, 2017
Madam Speaker, I want to give the colleague a lesson in history. During 10 years, the previous government announced in 2007, with great fanfare, its sectorial policy to improve the environment. The Conservatives had 10 years to put it in place. It was announced in 2007. Over 10 years, they implemented two out of the six sectors. That is their terrible record with respect to the environment. The Conservatives have nothing to tell us.
Air Transportation February 17th, 2017
Madam Speaker, as I have said many times, our priority is service to passengers.
That is why we are trying to reduce costs for passengers to ensure they can have more options and to reduce wait times at security and customs. We are even planning to create an air passenger rights regime.
Service to passengers will remain our priority as we explore the options.
Rail Transportation February 16th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, we in this government are committed to improving passenger rail service to make it safe, secure, efficient, and reliable. That is why we are investing in infrastructure for VIA Rail, like $1.6 million for Kingston station, where my hon. colleague comes from, $2.5 million for the train stations in Sarnia and London, $15 million for the maintenance centres in Toronto and Montreal. Anybody who goes to the Ottawa train station, where I take the train every week, will see that there is—
Transportation February 16th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, as I said, and the member did quote me properly at the beginning, this work is done together with the Province of Quebec; AECOM, the company that conducted the study; and also with the town of Lac-Mégantic and Mayor Cloutier. We have begun this work. We want to do it in a responsible manner.
We understand the situation in Lac-Mégantic. I visited the town three times. We want to expedite the process and we are doing everything we can to do so.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship February 16th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, we expect travellers to be treated respectfully and according to the law, on both sides of the border. Officers from the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are in regular contact on this issue, and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness will personally discuss the issue with his American counterpart, Secretary Kelly, in the next few days.
Rail Transportation February 15th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I have been tasked with expediting the process. That is why we are holding discussions with the Province of Quebec, which of course is involved, the mayor of Lac-Mégantic, and AECOM, the company commissioned to do the rail bypass study.
We know it is important to expedite the process, and we are working as a team to figure out how to do that.
Infrastructure February 9th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, with regard to airports, our first priority is service to passengers, whether it is in terms of cost, options, competitiveness, wait times at security or customs, or passengers' rights. We are exploring different options and everyone can rest assured that our first priority is and will always be service to passengers.
Transport February 7th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hard-working member from the Sioux. We deeply care about transport connectivity in our regions.
That is why we are investing $58 million in our regional airports, including the Rouyn-Noranda airport in Quebec, the Gods River airport in Manitoba, the Points North Landing airport in Saskatchewan, the Terrace-Kitimat airport in British Columbia, the Red Sucker Lake airport in Manitoba, the Magdalen Island airport in Quebec, the Wabush airport in Labrador, and the Yellowknife airport in the Northwest Territories. It is a long list.