Transport Committee on Feb. 27th, 2020

Evidence of meeting #4 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was projects.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Mandate of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

Mandate of the Minister of Transport

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Xavier Barsalou-Duval

Also speaking

Michael Keenan Deputy Minister, Department of Transport

Kelly Gillis Deputy Minister, Infrastructure and Communities, Office of Infrastructure of Canada

5:35 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

That is why I am asking the question. The message is clear.

How can we believe that things will materialize in the coming years if, in the first three or four years, we have not been able to achieve the objectives? Grand promises were made in all communities, saying that things were going to be fixed. Unfortunately, that has not happened.

It is important to know whether you really have a plan for those things to happen. In your mandate letter, there are so many things that no human could believe that they will come about.

5:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Vance Badawey

Thank you, Mr. Berthold.

Minister, perhaps I can have a short answer, please.

5:35 p.m.

Liberal

Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

We have already announced 52,000 projects and we have created 77,000 jobs. It is working. It takes time to get projects from the provinces and territories, but we are moving forward. It is a 10-year plan. We certainly have already seen its effects. That will continue; we must work with the provinces and municipalities to prepare projects.

It is already changing a lot of things in people’s lives. There are projects like autoroute 35. Is that not a good project in your constituency?

5:35 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

No, it is not really a good project.

5:35 p.m.

Liberal

Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON

You have green infrastructures in your constituency.

5:35 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Ms. McKenna, you do not need to give me a list of the projects. There are 52,000 of them. We have enough for the entire evening.

5:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Vance Badawey

Thank you, Mr. Berthold.

Members, we've run out of time. We're actually five minutes over time.

Minister McKenna, I want to thank you for being here, you and your team. Ms. Gillis, thank you for being here. Thank you for answering the questions of the committee members. It was very informative for us all. It was a great job today.

I now adjourn the meeting.