Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you very much, Minister.
Minister, last Tuesday, November 12, a routine inspection revealed a 2 mm crack on the Champlain Bridge's concrete girders. One of the three lanes in the south shore direction was immediately closed and will reopen in only about four weeks. That will cause major traffic congestion issues for the city of Montreal.
January 2014 will mark eight years of your government being in power. Ministerial briefing notes indicate that the government has known since 2006 that the Champlain Bridge had serious issues. Those issues were so serious that, a week before the 2011 electoral campaign, your government sent Senator Larry Smith to make an announcement on the subject. Mr. Smith was appointed to the Senate three days before declaring that he would run as a Conservative candidate in his riding. His comments are still posted on your website. They concern investments and the importance of making progress in the Champlain Bridge file.
I have a number of questions to ask you for the benefit of those who are following this issue. I would like you to write them down and answer them at your convenience.
First, why will the light rail system planned for the bridge only be ready at the same time as the new bridge, which, unless I am mistaken, is to be completed by 2021?
Second, you said that there would be no bridge without a toll. Could you provide the committee and Canadians with the analyses conducted on the potential distributional effects, such as increased traffic on the other non-toll bridges? Have such analyses been carried out?
Finally, why did the government award a contract of over $15 million to a sole-source provider that is not very familiar with the Champlain Bridge file?
I think that Canadians deserve answers to these important questions.