Evidence of meeting #47 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was year.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
How about the advertising, Minister? How much will be spent on advertising this year?
Conservative
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
What's the number? Your officials are here, your team is here—how much?
Conservative
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
We have seen how you were not involved in investing in the infrastructure of this country. I am aware of that era and you had no money for infrastructure.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Let me go to my next question. Here is my next question, Minister.
On May 13, 2014, I repeatedly asked your officials if they had conducted detailed analysis with respect to the effects of a toll on a new bridge in the Montreal area. I called it the “distributive effects” and I asked for information on, for example, gridlock, embouteillage. How about pressures on other bridges, on public transit systems, the financial and revenue implications?
The Minister of Transport came here a moment ago and said to my colleague that extensive analysis of the financials and effects of a toll system at Windsor-Detroit was all performed and had to be tabled with the Treasury Board before a dime could be spent on that project.
When I repeatedly asked your officials, pursuant to what my colleague just asked you, they produced nothing.
Can you now please tell us where is the analysis?
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
I will use exactly the same word, “nothing”. That's exactly what you did when you were in government to replace that bridge.
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
You did absolutely nothing for a bridge that was falling down—
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
—and we are delivering a bridge from now to 2018. We will do that in respect of the schedule we have and we will for sure, all the aspects on the traffic.... We're discussing with the province and all municipalities around, but for the moment we will know all the consortium—
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
But you can't say that you're created 30,000 jobs if you have no analysis.
Conservative
Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
We will know how much the bridge will cost after the analysis of the three proposals we will receive from the consortium. At that moment we will see what the price of the toll will be.
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
You gave a speech here a minute ago saying it was 30,000 jobs.
Conservative
Liberal
David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON
Mr. Chair, I asked the minister where the 30,000 jobs are coming from. Where is the analysis?
How can you say to the committee that 30,000 jobs are going to be created but you have no analysis for that?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Given the number of times you interrupted him, he probably could have, so.... Okay?
Mr. Braid, you have seven minutes.
Conservative
Peter Braid Conservative Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'm pleased to have the opportunity to provide a number of questions to the minister.
Thank you very much, Minister, for being here and for the updates you've provided on the range of portfolios you're responsible for.
Mr. McGuinty must be new here, because he's failed to understand an important aspect of the estimates process. When we compare estimates, we compare main estimates for one year to main estimates of another year. We don't compare main estimates to supplementary estimates (C).
Minister, I have a very basic question about the main estimates. As I look at the main estimates for Infrastructure Canada, and as I compare the main estimates for Infrastructure Canada for the year 2014-15 to the year 2015-16, I see an increase in the main estimates for Infrastructure Canada. Could you please confirm that, Minister?