Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Good morning.
Chair, elected officials and members, I want to thank you for inviting me here today, as I fully appreciate the importance of this committee's study on expanding federal jurisdiction for the operational security of the parliamentary precinct.
I'm pleased to join you as mayor of Gatineau.
Gatineau is an entirely separate entity within the national capital region.
Through the National Capital Commission, or NCC, the federal government is the largest property owner in the capital. As such, it manages nearly 11% of the land on both sides of the river. In Gatineau, this includes several major green spaces, such as Jacques-Cartier Park, Moore Farm, a network of cycling paths and the 360‑km2 Gatineau Park, the iconic site in the Outaouais region.
However, Gatineau is much more than that. It is the francophone half of the capital, our capital. It is the workplace of thousands of public servants and home to tens of thousands of others, who cross the Ottawa River each day to serve Canadians.
The City of Gatineau is in favour of the proposal to expand the Parliamentary Precinct from a security standpoint. There is already good co‑operation between the various police services, which worked together to manage interprovincial traffic during the pandemic and, more recently, during the trucker protests. It is important to have a unified command centre in an emergency to ensure sound management of events that have an impact on police operations.
In Gatineau, Laurier Street is part of Confederation Boulevard. The central part of that boulevard forms a loop that connects downtown Ottawa and downtown Gatineau. This ceremonial route passes in front of Parliament, heritage sites and museums, including the Canadian Museum of History. As you surely know, that museum is the most visited museum in the country and is located on Laurier Street in Gatineau.
The NCC oversees the visual identity and street furniture layout on Laurier Boulevard. Management agreements with the City of Gatineau do not present any problems. However, if the Parliamentary Precinct is expanded, additional federal funding is expected to be granted for its redesign and those agreements are expected to be improved.
I would like to open up new horizons. However, the issue that the government is looking at is much broader than just security. Once the issue is decided, the expansion of the Parliamentary Precinct will promote decisions on the ground to foster smooth and consistent development in the capital. This decision will become a lever for the federal government to fully assume its leadership in relation to interprovincial transport. For Gatineau, one of the most important issues to date is sustainable and structuring transportation that will facilitate travel, including between both sides of the river.
The population of the Ottawa-Gatineau region has almost tripled since 1970, from 581,000 to 1.4 million residents. Even greater growth is anticipated. However, no interprovincial transportation capacity has been added to the capital region in the last 50 years. Our public transit system, particularly our tramway project, must ensure traffic on the Portage Bridge and likely on Confederation Boulevard, on both sides of the river. This important infrastructure project is supported by Gatineau residents and must move ahead. The public transit office created at the NCC will also study the planning of possible interprovincial links for the tramway between Gatineau and Ottawa.
The issue of governance is a priority in this discussion. I reiterate the importance that we place on the leadership expected from the federal government, particularly the NCC, to assume its role and be the main representative for the various authorities. I am pleased that the issue is being discussed in an integrated long-term plan concerning interprovincial links.
The NCC has even committed to consider, in a subsequent phase, the implementation of a transit loop on Confederation Boulevard on both sides of the river. I therefore see this file as being closely linked to the issue before you, the expansion of the Parliamentary Precinct.
We have the opportunity to work together to create a transit network in the capital, at a time when the planet requires that decision-makers make every effort to fight greenhouse gases and when we are also responsible for making the best possible use of taxpayer dollars.
This decision allows Canada's capital to join other capitals around the world in relation to security concerns and an integrated vision of active and public transit.
The approach adopted must be in the public interest. This proposal is a unique opportunity for Canada to put words into action.
Thank you for your attention.