Transport Committee on Oct. 19th, 2009

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I think that on this issue it's not ideological. I think we generally want to go in the same direction. Some would like to see us go farther than others, but generally speaking, I think we're all going in the same direction. I just hope we have an opportunity to get this. If we can get a significant amount of reform, let's run and grab it while there's momentum. I think there clearly is momentum in the fact that this committee is considering it this quickly.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Absolutely.

Thanks very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Thank you.

Mr. Volpe is going to give his first question to Monsieur Proulx.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Minister, the Federal Accountability Act of your government, in section 228, had planned the creation of an executive committee for the National Capital Commission. Why do clauses 3, 1, and 8 of the bill confirm the abolition of the executive committee?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

We decided not to go forward with it.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Why?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

We've lived for a while with a separation between the CEO and the chair.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

You thought it was enough of a change.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Yes, and the role of the committees in practice has been strengthened, the audit committee and others. The NCC used to have four big meetings a year. They've begun to have meetings more regularly, and the committee structure has been more active. Having the governance split from the executive function has worked out demonstrably better than anyone could have hoped. I don't say this in criticism of Mr. Beaudry, who I think has done a pretty good job.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Secondly, we're talking about the ecological integrity of the commission's property, the real or removable properties in the Gatineau Park. Should this not also apply to all other NCC properties, such as the greenbelt and any other lands of national interest?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

We've had long discussions about this. I don't think you can say that any one acre of property in Gatineau Park or the greenbelt is equal to another. I'll talk very frankly about the property that the NCC has in the greenbelt in west Nepean. You have areas like the Stony Swamp that are the lungs of the nation. You have important woodlots. You have other areas that have become slivers, where regional roads have been built. You have commercial cornfields that take up a lot of former properties.

So I don't see how anyone can equate them.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Minister, when I brought this up in question period, you agreed with me on the importance of maintaining and protecting the greenbelt.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I do agree, strongly.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Maybe at another place and time we could find a way of protecting the greenbelt. Otherwise, nothing would stop the government from selling it off, in part or as a whole. Then it would be too late.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Preserving the greenbelt, protecting it, is something that I hold dear. If you have suggestions on how we might better do that, I would be more than happy to hear you out.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

There's no substitute, though, for a good government and a strong opposition.

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Thank you, Minister, for coming here.

You mentioned the balanced equality with which you deal with infrastructure projects around the country, irrespective of partisanship. So I'm going to ask you, because you're always fair to us here, why the good citizens of Eglinton—Lawrence, some 100,000 of them, were asked to contribute $1,000 each—that's $1,000 for every man, woman, and child—to invest in infrastructure in the riding of the Minister of Defence. What makes him so special that you around the cabinet table would tax every resident of my riding $1,000, just so he could say he brought home the bacon?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I think my constituents might ask why this government is spending so much money in Toronto—$666 million for the Spadina subway expansion, $333 million on the Spadina LRT. By the way, as for the Spadina subway extension, the TTC didn't even request the funding for it.

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

You initially told them to take a hike. But Minister, you had already assigned some of that money.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Do you want to talk about the Nova Scotia situation? I was pleased to be in Halifax with Megan Leslie, the member for Halifax, where we announced $20 million for a new central library. It will be a $60 million library. The province is submitting $20 million. Your colleague Rodger Cuzner and I worked very well together on $5.6 million in sewer upgrades in Cape Breton.

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

No, I'm talking about this $100 million, Minister, the $1,000 for every man, woman, and child in my riding. Please don't try to cloud things by making comparisons about how much money you spent in the greater Toronto area. Toronto itself has 2.5 million people. The greater Toronto area is 5.5 million. Please don't insult us by telling us you've made a contribution of $200 million. I'm talking about $100 million in infrastructure in a riding that pertained to one of your colleagues in cabinet. Did you get that much for your riding?

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Merv Tweed]

Order, please.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I didn't get that much for my riding. I can tell you that Ken Dryden and Judy Sgro got $666 million for theirs.