Mr. Speaker, the government will soon determine the site for the headquarters of the North American Commission for Environmental Co-operation.
Winnipeg would be the most appropriate location as the city is already home to the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Secretariat for the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
Aside from the certain benefits that will result from the proximity of these offices with closely related functions, Winnipeg provides easy access to transportation.
Winnipeg's rails run through the United States to Mexico and it is linked directly to Mexico via the most heavily used trucking route into that country.
As well, there are a number of direct and frequent air flights to Ottawa, Washington, D.C., and Mexico, the three capitals of the three signatories to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
I urge the government to choose Winnipeg, which has long stood at the forefront of promoting sustainable development, as the natural site for the North American Commission for Environmental Co-Operation.