Mr. Speaker, I have a petition with signatures of Canadians collected at a filling station on the Trans-Canada highway in my riding.
The petitioners draw attention to the fact that 38 per cent of the national highway system has fallen below accepted standards, that Mexico and the United States are upgrading their national highway systems, and that the national highway policy study identified job creation, economic development, saving lives, avoiding injuries, lower congestion, lower vehicle operating costs and better international competitiveness as benefits of the proposed national highway upgrading program.
Therefore the petitioners call on Parliament to urge the federal government to join with provincial governments to make the national highway system upgrading possible in 1997.