Mr. Speaker, this week marks transportation week. Unfortunately there is not much to celebrate.
Since the Liberal Party took office, Saint John has lost most of its transportation infrastructure. When the Conservative Party was in power, a new air traffic control tower was built. Now the Liberals have closed it and privatized the airport.
When the Conservative Party was in power, it maintained VIA passenger rail service from Saint John to Sherbrooke and built a new VIA terminal in Saint John. The Liberals ended VIA service and the new terminal is now a hockey training centre.
Planes and trains. What next? I guess it is the ports, of course. The government is privatizing ports with the idea of ending grants in lieu of municipal taxes and terminating the ports police, meaning more crime and less money to fight it. As well, ports must pay for navigational aids, dredging and ice breaking. This was all implemented before a full socioeconomic impact study was completed.
Before the government decides to celebrate transportation week, it should look at how it has undermined our essential transportation services. It might realize it has nothing of which to be proud.