Evidence of meeting #29 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vote.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
This is not a point of order that Mr. Coderre is raising.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
He's raised the point of order. I was listening, but I didn't.... Was he moving his motion?
Conservative
Liberal
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Are you the chair now?
Mr. Chair, given that the minister agrees to us holding a committee meeting on this matter, I would like him to come back, and I would like us to move this motion and have everyone support it unanimously.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
If I may, regrettably, you can't move a motion on a point of order. We do have it on the agenda to discuss at the end of this meeting, so I'll move to Ms. Chow.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Mr. Minister, my colleagues Jamie Nicholls, Isabelle Morin, and other New Democrats met with the Aveos workers. They saw the anger and the desperation in their eyes directly, face to face last week. Why are these workers angry? They're angry because since 1988 successive Conservative and Liberal governments have promised them that these Air Canada workers will have their jobs maintained. Until last year these were Air Canada workers. That's why they're angry. They feel cheated. They feel there was a promise made to them in 1988 and it was broken by the governments.
Why are they desperate? They know they are not going to be able to get their jobs back. That's why they're desperate. That's why they're going to probably come here to the Hill. They will continue to push.
I just have one simple question. Are you going to change the law so that Air Canada can legally ship their jobs to the U.S. or El Salvador? Right now they can't legally do it. Are you planning to change the law, the Air Canada Public Participation Act?
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Chair, I fully disagree with my colleague's preamble to her question. Last Thursday, I called the company representative twice. I invited him, myself, on Thursday evening to come and meet me in Ottawa. He said that he should force his way through my door to come and meet with me.
In my riding, Mr. Chair, 3,000 people lost their job during the forestry crisis. I know what it means when people lose their job, and I sympathize greatly with the people who lost their job in the Aveos affair and who are currently without a job. It was a decision by the company, a business decision.
My colleague has to understand, as do I, that Air Canada is a private company that does business with various companies, including Aveos, and that the agreement with Aveos is between Air Canada and Aveos. It isn't the government that manages these companies, Mr. Chair, neither Aveos, nor Air Canada, but the managers of the companies.
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
So, Mr. Chair, we will continue to do the analyses necessary. It's very unfortunate for the people who lost their job following these business decisions made by Aveos. Air Canada is calling on other companies across the country to continue to maintain its aircraft. What will happen to the former company Aveos? We'll see.
NDP
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
The estimates, the infrastructure funds.... I'm sure you want me to change the topic.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Right now in Canada, there are 37 red boil water advisories in place. There are 1,058 yellow boil water advisories in place.
What does a “boil water advisory” mean? It means that the water is toxic. It means that it's not safe for human consumption.
Whether it's Montreal's West Island or Prince Albert, there are cities and towns across the country that are desperate because they don't have the money to clean the water. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities estimates that the pent-up investment for water and sewage systems across Canada amounts to more than $31 billion.
Knowing the desperate situation of our water system in Canada, how could it be that in these main estimates the entire green infrastructure fund of $348 million has been eliminated, has been taken? These are the main estimates. In supplementary estimates (B) and (C), the previous ones, we weren't able to ask you that question, but we noticed that $48 million of the last green infrastructure fund was also cut. So in total, these green infrastructure funds, which were supposed to be used for clean water, are completely eliminated. There is no more funding for this program.
Then, on top of that, the communities component of the Building Canada fund, which targets projects in communities with populations under 100,000, is fully committed. So if I'm in a small town outside Quebec—because Quebec still has $32 million left in their part of it—if my water system is broken this year and will be next year until there's a new program in place, which you're consulting about, what am I to do? There's no money left.
There is a little money left in the Building Canada fund in the major infrastructure component, but that's for strategic projects of national and regional significance, like the Champlain Bridge, for example. It wouldn't be for small communities that are facing boil water advisories right now. The rainfall is going to come and they're going to be in trouble. Sure enough, there are over 1,000 yellow boil water advisories, which means that the kids cannot drink the water and the seniors will get sick and they'll have to go to the hospital.
How could it be that there is this cut of $348 million to the green infrastructure fund? There's hardly any money left. There's a tiny little bit for big infrastructure, but nothing for small municipalities.
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Chair, a lot of things in that question are very disparate.
In another life, I was a mayor, a member of the Union des municipalités du Québec, in the group of mayors that put pressure on the previous government. One measure was put in place by our government so that the municipalities had permanent funding. It became the gasoline excise tax refund, which we set in legislation. It's now permanent funding. However, certain parties voted against all that funding.
All the small municipalities in Canada now have predictable funding. So they can do long-term planning and use that money to meet all their needs. It isn't up to the federal government to decide how they use that money. To my knowledge, the municipality can still today, in 2012, decide to invest the funding where it wants to.
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
If there is no drinkable water in certain municipalities, it isn't the fault of the federal government; it's the responsibility of municipalities to maintain the water supply system. It would be too easy to say that.
The Green Infrastructure Fund was used in a large number of cases. We completed over 4,000 projects with funding from Canada's Economic Action Plan. The Building Canada Plan had a budget of $33 billion, which has never been seen in the history of the country, but the opposition parties still voted against it.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
Thank you.
With that, the time has expired for the ministers. The department is staying longer.
I'll recognize Mr. Coderre after I thank our guests. I'll invite other members of the staff to move forward.
Thank you, Ministers.
I'll refer to Mr. Coderre while our tables are clearing.