Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's regrettable that we have to be here today, because I know there are many different events that different members could be at. Events aside, this is an issue of national prominence, and I hope that today's committee proceedings give it its due.
It is incredibly important for us as parliamentarians to have factual information. Obviously, if a minister makes a misrepresentation in the House of Commons, there are rules that allow for us to immediately challenge it and for the Speaker to ask that minister or even a prime minister to come into order. In the House of Commons, it's important for us to have accurate information so we can make good decisions on behalf of our constituents.
When it comes to the Gordie Howe bridge, I welcome the new bridge. This is something the Harper government worked very hard to secure a strong deal on that worked both for Canadians and for the other side. It was decided, because of the politics at the time, to make it so Canadians would fund the bridge, but this was no small undertaking. Since then, Canadian workers have worked very hard to fulfill that end of the promise and to build a great bridge that we can use to the benefit of our economy.
It troubles me that the Prime Minister, in his statement to the press at the Stampede, regardless of what he was wearing, whether it was a cowboy hat or otherwise.... He said what was in the deal and gave specific details of what was in the particular agreement that he had come to with the Trump administration. Then, at a second press conference of his on July 17, he reiterated those same points, and what we found out from the media was that was not the case at all.
Some Liberal members took umbrage with the fact that Conservatives were pointing to these media reports, and they said that we were spreading misinformation. That turned out to be untrue. It turns out that the Prime Minister made statements that directly contradicted what was in the agreement, and he did so multiple times.
Unfortunately, the rules of the House do not apply at the Stampede, and they do not apply at a prime minister's press conference, but this is a democracy, and our rules do apply in this chamber. It's important for the opposition and for Liberal members themselves to hold the government to account to make sure that Canadians are being given factual information so that we can make good decisions.
The fact that these statements were contradictory and that Minister Robertson, the minister responsible for infrastructure, told media that he will not be releasing the fiscal impacts of this side deal arrangement with the Trump administration on revenue raises a whole host of questions.
I believe that, firstly, we need to make sure we have proper transparency. Holding a hearing is a first step towards that. Having the Parliamentary Budget Officer model the financial impacts the side agreement will ultimately have on the Canadian taxpayer, who has funded....
I have to give the Canadian taxpayer full credit. We all collectively felt this was an asset that we needed to have. To see the Prime Minister capitulate to the American side and then to see him try to give a false view of it, whether it was from a lack of personal knowledge—I don't think we can say that of someone of his position and background—or, worse than that, whether it was a plan by the Prime Minister to convey incorrect information on purpose.... To me that's unfathomable as well. I believe the highest office in our country deserves to have the highest standards, and I think we as parliamentarians should demand better of our officials.
Canadian taxpayers have paid lots of money for this. We all know that there are challenges in dealing with the American administration, but Canadians—the taxpayers—are due an explanation as to why this agreement was ratified, why the Prime Minister gave contradicting statements and why we only found out through the media. Lastly, we need more transparency, including with financial modelling.
As we've heard from professional economists from across the sphere.... There's a National Post story this week that says there are so many announcements and so many impacts to the fiscal framework with zero transparency, and even the Parliamentary Budget Officer is having difficulty reconciling what the government says in announcements with what actually happens. That's incredibly disheartening for me as a parliamentarian, because I care about this place. I believe we can make good decisions if we have the right information.
I hope that all members will be supportive of the following motion. I move:
Given that the Prime Minister capitulated to American demands regarding Gordie Howe International Bridge toll revenues and subsequently provided inaccurate information to Canadians about the deal, and given that many serious questions remain about the impact of the deal on Canadian taxpayers and businesses, the committee:
a. order the Department of Housing, Communities and Infrastructure to produce all drafts of the “Proposed Agreement in Principle” for the new deal related to the Gordie Howe International Bridge within two weeks of the adoption of this motion;
b. send a request to the Parliamentary Budget Officer to conduct a net present value analysis of the Gordie Howe International Bridge;
c. conduct a study of no fewer than five meetings into this matter, provided that the committee invite the following witnesses to testify separately for two hours each:
a. Dominic LeBlanc, Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade,
b. Gregor Robertson, Minister of Infrastructure,
c. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance, and
d. officials from the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority; and
d. in the interim, report to the House that it calls upon the Prime Minister to incorporate transparency, accuracy, openness and honesty in all public communications regarding the Canada-U.S. relationship to ensure that Canadians have the reliable information they need to navigate the real-world impacts of this strained relationship.
I hope this committee will treat this issue with as much seriousness as it deserves and that it will not simply be dismissed. These are basic questions of transparency, something that Canadians should always expect of their government and of their parliamentarians.
Thank you.