Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am presenting this motion because it is an opportunity for all parties to come together and accomplish a concrete goal. This motion is the result of work done among the parties. I know that the parliamentary secretary is a fan of the book The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, a classic on strategy. This is an opportunity to avoid confrontation and adopt a collaborative approach. So I extend my hand to the parliamentary secretary and his party, as well as to Mr. Coderre and his party.
Without further ado, I would like to explain the reason for my motion.
The Government of Quebec has formally asked the federal government for financial support for the western train. It's clear that renovations to the Turcot interchange, the Champlain bridge and the Bonaventure highway will cause significant traffic problems, which will hinder the productivity and competitiveness of the Montreal economy and the flow of the road network, and as a result, commercial transport will be compromised.
I would like to point out that traffic congestion costs $3 billion a year. We see that the cost of traffic congestion in Montreal is increasing drastically each year. In 1993, it was $550 million; in 2004, $780 million; in 2009, $1.5 billion. These figures need to be doubled to include the delays caused by construction and accidents. That's how we got to $3 billion.
The demand for public transportation is increasing dramatically on the West Island of Montreal. For each block of 370 passengers currently, there will be 74 more passengers in the next 15 years. The percentage of trips using public transportation has increased by 36% since 1998.
I will also point out that this initiative is supported by all the parties. I know that Senator Smith said that…
he wants to see “our own trains, our own tracks, and doubling the frequency of the volume of trains”.
He said, “I want to bring”—