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.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Louis Lévesque  Deputy Minister, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Infrastructure Canada
André Lapointe  Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Services, Department of Transport
Laureen Kinney  Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Department of Transport
Yazmine Laroche  Associate Deputy Minister, Infrastructure Canada

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

How about the advertising, Minister? How much will be spent on advertising this year?

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Less than the former Liberal government.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

What's the number? Your officials are here, your team is here—how much?

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

We don't have the answer for that, but—

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

You don't have the numbers, okay.

4:55 p.m.

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.

4:55 p.m.

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?

4:55 p.m.

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.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Is that an answer, Minister?

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

You did absolutely nothing for a bridge that was falling down—

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Do you have the analysis, Minister?

4:55 p.m.

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—

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Okay, fair enough.

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

—until now—

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Minister, it's fair to say that you don't know.

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Sorry, I have to finish my answer.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

But you can't say that you're created 30,000 jobs if you have no analysis.

4:55 p.m.

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.

4:55 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

You gave a speech here a minute ago saying it was 30,000 jobs.

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Order.

Your time has expired.

Finish, Mr. Minister.

5 p.m.

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?

5 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Larry Miller

Mr. McGuinty, your time has expired.

5 p.m.

Liberal

David McGuinty Liberal Ottawa South, ON

Can you get an answer, Mr. Chair?

5 p.m.

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.

March 10th, 2015 / 5 p.m.

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?