Mr. Speaker, let me assure everyone in attendance I will not be quite as long as the Bloc was with all its members. I will be about the same time as it took the hon. member for Kootenay West-Revelstoke.
With regard to Motions Nos. 12 and 13 which affect clause 15 in the bill, CN currently operates under the Official Languages Act in both official languages. In its continuing capacity as a national railway CN will continue to serve both anglophone and francophone clients across the country.
Continued application of the Official Languages Act will not require any change to its operations. In addition, CN management has indicated it makes good business sense to operate a bilingual railway.
Moreover, CN's intention to continue operating as a bilingual railway will also have no effect on the value of the company's shares when they are sold.
With regard to Motion No. 14 and the Quebec bridge, Motion No. 14 deals with the renovation and maintenance of the Pont de Québec in Quebec City. Although the government understands the desire to ensure the Pont de Québec is maintained in good condition, Bill C-89 is not the proper venue for such assurances.
Putting such a clause in the bill would draw negative attention from investors as an operating cost imposed on CN. CN has stated its willingness to increase its contribution for maintenance to $1.5 million but needs matching funds from the province of Quebec, keeping in mind the province has an interest in the bridge because it is a highway structure, an area of provincial jurisdiction.
I hope members of the Bloc would impose upon their friends in Quebec City that they have an equal responsibility to maintain that bridge, as 70 per cent of the traffic on it is vehicular, which is under provincial jurisdiction.
Let me assure everyone this bridge is in safe condition. It is in need of repair. CN is obligated to maintain it and it has promised to do so. I encourage everyone to have the province put in its fair share as well as those people who want to keep it for historical purposes.
Therefore we cannot support Motion No. 14.
On Motion No. 15, which impacts on clause 16, Bill C-89 will have no effect on the jurisdiction under which either an interprovincial or an intraprovincial railway operates. Currently interprovincial railways come under federal jurisdiction and must comply with federal safety regulations. Intraprovincial railways may choose to incorporate either under the provincial jurisdiction of the province in which they operate or under federal jurisdiction.
Currently most intraprovincial shortlines choose provincial jurisdiction. Internal shortlines, whether they be intraprovincial or interprovincial remain part of the class one railway and therefore operate under federal jurisdiction.
An example of this is the internal shortline in northern Quebec recently established by CN and its employees. Again, none of the foregoing would be affected by Bill C-89, and the proposal to amend clause 16 is therefore unnecessary.