Evidence of meeting #26 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
I think I'll ask the minister to answer those questions, because we are running out of time. I'm sorry, Mr. Bevington.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
Lawrence Cannon Conservative Pontiac, QC
Mr. Bevington, thank you for your questions. This is extremely important, and it enables me to talk once again about the Building Canada plan.
One of the important components of the Building Canada plan is the flow of the base funding of $25 million per jurisdiction for the next seven years. In the case of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, or the Yukon, as well as the other provinces, $175 million will flow. The federal government requires that you submit to us the list of projects you want to fund, and inasmuch as they fall within the Building Canada categories, these projects will be eligible. So there's a lot of flexibility, as there is with the gas tax, of course.
But I come back to this. This offers for the first time for those parts of northern Canada the flexibility to be able to pursue those particular projects that they want to look at. You asked what kind of participation there is. Generally speaking, with the base funding, we ask that provinces participate at a rate of 50% of what we're putting in. But in the case of the territories and Prince Edward Island, we're asking them only to put in 25% of the total amount. So there is flexibility within the program.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Jean Conservative Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm interested a little bit in talking about open skies and Blue Sky, this government's initiatives in relation to helping consumers across this country.
First, I'd just like to say, Minister, I spoke to the Minister of Transport of the Northwest Territories two or three weeks ago, and he is absolutely ecstatic about this government's participation in the Northwest Territories. He wanted to give me personal kudos about how happy he was with this government. Indeed, I am as well, Mr. Minister, because I've seen the investment in my own riding towards keeping Canadians safer. When this government got into power, one of the first investments was the twinning of Highway 63, which is one of the most dangerous highways in this country.
I want to talk a little bit about the Blue Sky policy, because this government, since the announcement in November 2006, has concluded an open skies agreement with Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and Barbados. I understand the EU is currently in negotiations. With the Blue Sky policy, we know that consumers will be happy, Canadians will be happy, because there are lower prices, better service, and more selection for them in their travels. We also know that all of the participants, all of the stakeholders, including even unions and airports and airlines, want these open skies agreements concluded quickly and efficiently. So congratulations to the government.
Do you see, Mr. Minister, that we will be moving forward with expanded versions in the future, to have real open skies agreements like the ones we have concluded with these, or will we just continue on with adding some enhancements to the current agreements? Do you see more open skies agreements being concluded in the future with this government?
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Lawrence Cannon Conservative Pontiac, QC
Coming back to your opening remarks, I think it's extremely important to emphasize the fact that this government is determined to offer consumers better prices, to offer the opportunity for consumers, as well as carriers, to select and go into marketplaces that weren't there before. As you alluded to, since November of 2006 there have been half a dozen open skies agreements with a number of countries. We are working with the European Union extensively, negotiating with them. We want to focus on the Asian continent as well as the Americas as our next step. That will be the focus of our attention in the coming years.
At the end of the day, when we are able to drive the prices down and we offer Canadians the opportunity to fly in areas where they would have never expected to go, I think that is achieving a goal and an objective that we as a political party, and as well as a government, want to go forward with.
You mentioned that it's important for the government to seek out new opportunities. Yes, it is important for the government to seek out new opportunities in this area. I'm pleased about this, and we want to be able to push that forward. We want to be able to go further in that area.
Will we ever get to a cabotage agreement? That's probably something that will be looked at by our successors in several years. I know the Americans have not yet gone in that direction. There doesn't seem to be, as of yet, an indication in the marketplace that this is going there, but there are a number of tools--either enhancements with different nations with whom we already have an agreement, or negotiations for open skies agreements. We aren't yet at the level of cabotage, which is the sixth or seventh freedom. So that's the general idea of where we want to go.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
Thank you, Mr. Minister and your staff, for attending and participating in a full and frank discussion of transport issues in Canada.
For the committee, at the next meeting, on Tuesday, we will be dealing with the railway safety report. I'm hoping that on Thursday, if it isn't finished on Tuesday, we will wrap that up and hold a subcommittee meeting for an agenda for after the break.
With that, the meeting is adjourned.