Thank you, Chair.
I am not certain that I have properly understood what my colleague from Vaudreuil—Soulanges is saying. It should be noted that the problem does not reside with VIA Rail. On December 22, VIA Rail decided to suspend services on the line to the Gaspé because there were safety issues. In 2007, the Quebec government and the federal government reached an agreement with the people in the Gaspé to create that company. It is now an independent organization in the Gaspé. The problem is as follows: $100 million is needed over the next five years. So, $20 million needs to be invested per year over five years to ensure that the railway is safe. In fact, there is a clear problem of sustainability.
Personally, I am in favour of supporting the people of the Gaspé; however, I wonder if it is really necessary to establish a separate program, specifically to resolve these two issues, meaning the one in Vancouver and the one in the Gaspé. Instead, I think we should ask the minister to verify whether existing programs could temporarily respond to this infrastructure problem. Of course, the economic situation must be taken into account. The budget will probably hurt in March. I support this motion, but I would ask the government to not wait for programs to be created and to avoid speaking in strictly technocratic language.
We should invite the minister, who is also responsible for Economic Development Canada for the regions of Quebec, to play a specific role with regard to the Gaspé. As for the issue in western Canada, a minister is obviously responsible for this file, but with regard to the Gaspé, it is not by attacking VIA Rail that the problem will be resolved. The minister needs to be advised that there is a safety issue, that the people in the Gaspé are not second-class citizens and that with regard to their industrial development, they also deserve infrastructure. We should ask him to verify whether it's possible to utilize existing programs. In fact, creating a new program would take time and would have to go through Treasury Board. Furthermore, this is a time of pre-budget consultations, and the budget will be tabled on March 13. This would make no sense.
This is, however, an urgent need. Even recently we have been able to see the kind of situation that can occur when things get mixed up. Our colleague from Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine is now in the Magdalen Islands. We are thinking of these people and we are happy to see how Minister Dutil and Premier Charest reacted.
With regard to the railway, since this is a public hearing, I think that we should ask Minister Lebel to review this situation, even if the Conservatives will vote against the motion. We are talking about people's safety, and if nothing is done, the railway will have to be closed. With regard to industrial development, without basic infrastructure and income, quality of life will deteriorate. The Quebec government has already invested in health care, but we also want to ensure that these people can travel and have access to this mode of transportation. I will be voting in favour of the motion, but no matter what the government decides, I would ask Minister Lebel to review this issue in the Gaspé. As Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, he may feel that the problem affecting Vancouver could be handled by the minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification.
Thank you.