Madam Speaker, I rise to pursue a question that I asked the Minister of Transport last week in the House about a proposed route for the Trans-Canada Highway through New Brunswick.
In answering my question the Minister of Transport said that he could not address the matter because it was a provincial jurisdiction. What the minister failed to note was that the federal government cost shares on all trans-Canada projects. That makes it a federal concern.
Although the ultimate route has not yet been determined, the New Brunswick government is leaning toward the idea of an expanded Trans-Canada Highway from Fredericton to Moncton, New Brunswick through Jemseg Marsh and CFB Camp Gagetown. This plan will cost an estimated $1 billion and will cause environmental problems.
Under this plan, Saint John would not be on the Trans-Canada Highway route. As the province's largest city, its industrial centre and the city closest to the U.S. border, Saint John should be directly on the TCH. In fact, this new route would also cut off Sussex, New Brunswick and many other towns and villages along the way.
There is an environmental assessment being done of Premier McKenna's choice of the route. The possibility of the route going through a designated flood plain and going through Camp Gagetown, including one of the province's largest inland marshes is worrisome.
Citizens groups from my province say Premier McKenna's preference seems to fly in the face of a federal government policy calling for no net loss of water habitat for wildlife. Even if this is not of concern to the transport minister, it should of interest to federal ministers of the environment and defence.
The preferable route would twin Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton and St. Stephen and can be built for $220 million. It could be done by upgrading the existing highways linking these four centres. This option will make the three largest cities in the province of New Brunswick equal and will pose no threat to the environment whatsoever.
I ask the minister once again to reassure the House that the government will not contribute one federal dollar to a trans-Canada highway project that is not only exorbitant in cost but may also be harmful to the environment. How could any member of this government agree to spend $1 billion when in fact it can achieve its objective by spending $220 million?