Transport Committee on March 21st, 2018

[Ron Liepert, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

So the answer is “no”.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

I would say to you that we do not condone illegal activity in this country.

[Ron Liepert, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Okay.

Mr. Chong, go ahead.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you.

Madam Chair, how much time is there?

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

[Inaudible—Editor] minutes, which would include an answer if you would like one.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Sure. I would note, though, Madam Chair, that the time allotted to members is not simply for questions. It's also for commentary—

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Of course.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

—so.... I appreciate that, Madam Chair.

I want to go back to the general bridge policy of the government, since you're also asking for money for The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited.

In the argument you've given to us that the Champlain Bridge toll is not going to be applied because it's not a new bridge could arguably be applied to the Confederation Bridge that crosses the Northumberland Strait from the mainland to Prince Edward Island. Residents there have to pay $46.50 to cross that bridge, and that is arguably not a new bridge. The deal in Confederation was that P.E.I. would have a permanent link to the mainland. That was constitutionally guaranteed. It was part of the deal that brought Prince Edward Island into Confederation post-1867. Therefore, arguably, that "new" link, that Confederation Bridge, is not a new link. It just replaces an older link, which was the ferry service.

The argument the government makes that we're going to waive tolls on one bridge that we own in this country but not on other bridges that we own—others that cost billions of dollars a year—to me sounds like pure politics.

It's not fair to the people of the region that I live in, the people of Wellington County and the people of Halton Region, who depend heavily on a manufacturing industry that has supply chains that are closely linked with manufacturing sectors in the American northeast. Why do we have to pay tolls on our bridges, or why do Prince Edward Islanders have to pay a toll on their bridge, yet people living in another part of the country don't? It doesn't seem fair to me.

I think the concept of equity and fairness for all Canadians, particularly in a country so regionalized, is incredibly important. I'd like a better answer or at least maybe an indication that the government is going to reconsider their bridge policies in respect of the waiving of the tolls on the Champlain Bridge.

I would also note that the Champlain Bridge actually was tolled well into the seventies or eighties, and those tolls helped pay for the original construction of that bridge. It was only when the bridge had been largely paid for that the federal government decided to lift those tolls. There was a principle at play here, and I don't believe it's being followed by the current government.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chong.

Go ahead, Minister Garneau.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

In reply, it's very simple. We made a decision that we would not toll the Champlain Bridge because it's going to replace the bridge that is due for disposal as soon as the new bridge opens. With respect to the Confederation Bridge, it did replace one ferry, but there's a ferry service to Prince Edward Island that still operates.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Ms. Sansoucy, we can squeeze in one question for you.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Of course, we could continue our discussion on aviation safety.

The latest statistics published by the Transportation Safety Board point to an increase in accidents in commercial air transportation. However, there is no additional funding in Budget 2018 for the aviation safety program. Since 2015, your department has even cut the aviation safety program's funding by 12%.

Earlier, you told me you felt that the track record has been positive, but it is difficult for me to understand how an inspection budget can be reduced when the accident rate is increasing.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Ms. Sansoucy, the only thing I can tell you to reassure you—and I have probably said this a few hundred times in the House of Commons—is that safety is my priority. I can assure you that, if I had any doubts regarding safety, I would not accept the current situation. However, I do accept it because we have an intelligent and pragmatic system based on risk—a system that works.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Do I have time to ask a quick question?

There are inspection reports on the safety management systems of Canadian airline companies. Can those reports be released proactively?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Would you please repeat your question?

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

There are inspection reports on the safety management systems of Canada's airline companies. Companies are currently engaged in a lawsuit because they are concerned that Transport Canada is releasing those reports, under the Access to Information Act. That would be important information.

[Michael Keenan, Deputy Minister, Department of Transport]

That's a very good question. We seek to be quite transparent in the civil aviation inspection program. There are some points of information that are confidential, where the confidentiality advances the inspection oversight program, but some of it needs to be public. We could get back to the committee on exactly what information is available and what can be made available. We could return that quite quickly.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

I think it would be useful to provide that information, or a good portion of it, to the committee members.

[Michael Keenan]

We will do that.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much. The members thank you, Minister Garneau, and your officials for being with us today. The hour is up. As you move out, another minister will move in.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

It went so fast.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you all very much for being here. We will suspend for a minute or two.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

I call the meeting of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities back to order.

We will now continue with our study of the subject matter of interim estimates 2018-2019: votes 1, 5, and 10 under Office of Infrastructure of Canada; vote 1 under the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated; and vote 1 under the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.

We are delighted to welcome the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. Minister Sohi is accompanied by his officials: Ms. Darlene Boileau, assistant deputy minister for corporate services and chief financial officer, as well as Ms. Kelly Gillis, deputy minister for infrastructure and communities.

For the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges, we have Mr. Claude Lachance, senior director, administration.

For the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, we have Ms. Linda Hurdle, chief operating office, as well as André Juneau, interim chief executive officer.

Welcome, everyone, to our committee. We appreciate your being here.

Mr. Sohi, please begin your opening remarks.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me and our staff to speak with you today about Infrastructure Canada's interim estimates.

I want to start by talking to you about what my department is doing to build and support strong and inclusive communities where everyone has access to the opportunities they need to thrive. You have already introduced my staff members, so I won't do that.

The government has been working closely with our provincial, territorial, and municipal partners to deliver on our commitments to make historic investments in infrastructure. As you know, we are investing more than $180 billion in infrastructure projects across the country through the investing in Canada plan. Our plan aims to help grow the economy; support the middle class; build inclusive, accessible communities; and support low-carbon, green, and sustainable investments.

The first phase of our plan was focused on rehabilitation and upgrades to existing infrastructure. It supported the design and planning stages of new large-scale light rail projects in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta.

Through these early investments we made, cities like Halifax are benefiting from the 29 new buses they bought using investments from the public transit infrastructure fund. These new buses are fully accessible, meaning that all residents of Halifax can benefit from them. In Manitoba, communities are benefiting from 23 water projects, such as the construction of a new reservoir and pumphouse in the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul. These projects are keeping Manitoba's waterways clean and the communities healthier and livable.

Over the past two years, my department has approved over 4,100 projects for a combined investment of over $35 billion across all of our programs. Based on the information that our partners have provided us, more than 90% of these projects are under way.

We have also made considerable progress on the new Champlain Bridge project. This new bridge is one of the largest infrastructure projects in North America. It will have a lifespan of 125 years once it is completed. Construction of the new bridge is now more than 65% complete. We continue to work closely with our private partner, Signature on the Saint Lawrence, with the objective of opening the bridge this December.

We have also significantly advanced the Gordie Howe International Bridge project in Windsor-Detroit, which will allow for a vital and more efficient trade corridor for Canada and our biggest trading partner, the United States. To date, we have completed significant preparatory work. The proponent will be announced in June. I'm pleased to say that the construction of the bridge will start this fall.

We are moving forward with the smart cities challenge. It was launched in November of last year and is now under way, with communities across the country submitting their applications. Finalists will be announced this summer.

Overall, we have made great progress on some key immediate infrastructure needs, and now we are focusing on the long-term, transformational aspect of our plan. We are working with our partners on their long-term investments in key priority areas such as public transit; green infrastructure; community, culture, and recreation infrastructure; and rural and northern communities infrastructure.

I am currently working closely with our provincial and territorial partners to reach new bilateral agreements that will see more than $35 billion in federal funding invested across Canada over the next 10 years. I'm pleased to note that, to date, we have signed bilateral agreements with the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and New Brunswick. I have confidence that we will finalize the majority of the remaining agreements in the coming weeks. The budget also provided the updated funding profiles for our programs, which reflect the interim estimates we are discussing today.

I want to be clear: all of the funding in our plan remains available for the projects and programs to which it is allocated. We have committed to more than doubling our infrastructure investments, and that commitment stands. Our programs are designed to flow funds only when claims are submitted to the department by our partners. The budget provides an update on the forecast for when we expect to receive and reimburse those claims.

Thank you so much for having me here today.