Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind you that the bill we are debating is an improved version of the former Bill C-44, improved in several points I believe. This is a bill which requires our uninterrupted attention.
No one can be opposed to the fact that it was important to decentralize port administration in order to make it more efficient, closer to the communities.
At the same time, we must be sure that decisions on this bill and each clause in this bill respect this. There have been some improvements to date, not sufficient in my opinion for a vote in favour of it. There are some interesting things in it nevertheless.
A balance must be struck in the amendments. In Bill C-44 there was already the acceptance of port development according to regional socio-economic characteristics. I think that was a move in the right direction.
I would like to draw attention of the House to the question of the port limits determined by the minister taking recreational and tourist considerations into account. To give an example, adjacent to the port of Cacouna there is a Canada Wildlife Service bird conservation reserve. When the ports are handed over, the group that takes over the port must ensure that the status of the adjacent lands is clearly established so as not to buy something and then have problems with the neighbours afterward. The amendment and the bill must therefore be clear. That is the reason behind the proposed amendment.
It is also important for zoning bylaws. With the handover of local port facilities, it will be increasing important for zoning regulations to be respected by those who inherit those facilities. Municipal authorities, the grassroots, will have more say in the matter. Care must therefore be taken that nothing is omitted from the bill and that the legislation is clear.
I will also take this opportunity to draw the attention of the parliamentary secretary and the minister to the fact that these principles must be respected in the daily business of privatizing ports. I have an example that unfortunately is giving us pause right now.
In the port of Rivière-du-Loup, which is a port for ferries crossing between Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-Siméon, steps were taken to privatize the port, but unfortunately, at the same time, a letter was received from a regional director telling us that, effective the summer of 1998, dredging will be discontinued in the port of Rivière-du-Loup, meaning that in the short term the ferry service can no longer be maintained.
I think that the government, which I believe is acting in good faith in Bill C-9 and which really wants to see ports handed over, should in a case like that put a hold on the operations of its regional director and ensure that privatization can proceed under favourable conditions, which would encourage those wishing to acquire facilities to do so.
It should not be forgotten that the investments in the port of Rivière-du-Loup are not a gift to the region. An economic impact study revealed that this crossing generated $25 million. Over $3 million in taxes are paid to the two levels of government.
So when $300,000 or $400,000 is spent dredging the port of Rivière-du-Loup, this is only a partial return on the money that goes to the federal government through the increased economic impact generated by crossing users. I think it would be a good idea for the department to be sure that its actions are in keeping with the principles of the legislation in this regard.
I would like to point out that situations vary considerably from one site to another. In my riding alone, there are three different ferries. There is one covering a kilometre and a half between Saint-Juste-du-Lac and Notre-Dame-du-Lac. Another runs between Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-Siméon. There is a third between Trois-Pistoles and Les Escoumins. Each case is different, and the federal government must consider local realities when it meets with communities in the process of divesting.
Management of the ferry in Rivière-du-Loup is by contract, but the ferry belongs to the Société des traversiers du Québec. In Trois-Pistoles, the ferry is privately owned. The ferry at Saint-Juste-du-Lac operates within the lake, as the name indicates. So the sorts of management differ considerably, and the sites do not all have the same financial and economic capacity.
I hope the directors and the people implementing the bill will be openminded enough to permit the divesting of ports and for them to become the tools of economic development for all these areas of activity.
In conclusion, I think the Bloc has done its part in analyzing this bill in a highly professional manner. It has presented some very constructive amendments in order to make this the best legislation possible.
If the government had been still more precise in indicating how much money it can put into the handover, perhaps we might at the end of the day have been able to vote in favour of the bill. The Bloc Quebecois amendments on the table, however, in this group and the others, are pertinent. They will improve the bill and I trust that the government will, as my predecessor said in his speech, take the time to look at them thoroughly and do as they did for the one they have already accepted, which is to reconsider their position so that when the amendments are voted on they can be integrated into the bill. That will result in a more worthwhile piece of legislation.
We are now in the final stages of examining this bill, which is today at the report stage. We will probably get to the third reading on Friday. That is when the question will have to be asked. This bill will govern the federal government's divesting operations for the next 10, 15 or 20 years. If Quebec becomes sovereign, the transfers will take place in accordance with the contents of this bill.
What is needed, therefore, is for there to be the most solid legislation possible in place, legislation which will make it possible to fulfil the initial objectives and will also add efficiency to one sector, maritime transport, which Quebec for a long time could not get under its jurisdiction. Now, in its exchanges with Quebec, the federal government must ensure that the wishes of Quebec are respected, so that if, for example, a network of ports is created, the economic objectives of Quebec can be respected in the process.
We have before us, nevertheless, a bill aimed at ensuring decentralization. Let us look at how it can be done under the best possible conditions.