Transport Committee on Oct. 26th, 2006

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

I need some clarification. Is the $16.4 billion “all” infrastructure projects? We're talking anything from $500 up to.... What are we talking here? Why don't we get a new committee and just meet every day for the next ten years, because that's how long it's going to take to brief us. Let's be realistic here, folks. This is the Government of Canada.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Scott.

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

There are two different issues here. One is that whatever we want to discuss we want it to be available. We're not going to discuss every project.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Well that's what the whole list means.

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

No, it means they're available. In other words, we have the right to ask a question about a project, even a small project. If you don't include all of them in the descriptor, you don't have the right to ask about them. That isn't to say that everybody is going to ask about all of them.

[Mario Laframboise, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

That's why I wanted to delete the word “major”. The motion would then read “progress of infrastructure projects”. That way, we can discuss any project...

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Mr. Jean.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

I was just going to make one more friendly amendment, if I can at this stage.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Okay. Let's hear it.

[Brian Jean, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

I would add, “...and such be done at a meeting convened other than the normal meetings of the committee”. I think we can have unanimous consent on that. As long as it's during extra meetings, I don't think we have any problems.

We just want to make sure that the citizens we represent in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, and Vancouver especially are very happy and content with the movement by this committee. I'm very interested, and so are all the members of the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Okay. If everyone is in agreement, then I will ask the clerk to read it again.

So we would take out the wordsgrands and “all” because what we're really saying is “infrastructure projects”.

I will ask the clerk to read it, and then we will put the question.

[The Clerk]

That the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities request the presence of senior infrastructure officials including the Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister with responsibility for the Canadian Infrastructure Fund, the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, and the Highways and Borders Infrastructure Program to brief the committee on the inventory, application and approvals process of infrastructure projects now underway, outside of the normal meeting time of the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

All those in favour of the amendment?

(Amendment agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

All in favour of the motion as amended?

(Motion agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

The committee is adjourned.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.