Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, Minister Garneau, for appearing here today. I am pleased to see you.
First of all, I want to point out something that was pretty remarkable in the follow-up to the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. You offered your full co-operation, and I sense that you have a genuine desire to resolve this matter, but the public has certain expectations that must be met.
As you know, the people of Lac-Mégantic have very high expectations. Those expectations were created by the Prime Minister himself during the election campaign. In fact, he promised to build a bypass around Lac-Mégantic.
I think another serious problem has to do with credibility. Many people have come out and declared themselves to be experts on the matter. Some political parties have been very harsh and critical of Transport Canada over the past year. Today, the public is still worried. The people are still afraid of trains. We are not getting any answers. A little earlier, you mentioned that you are concerned about rail safety, but unfortunately, no one can give any timeframes.
How can you reassure the public regarding the current safety of rail transportation in Lac-Mégantic? Is there anything you can do to reassure people about rail safety? What can we do to help experts win back some of the credibility they have lost?
My second question will be brief. Has any funding been set aside in the upcoming budget to complete the bypass project?