Mr. Speaker, with regard to the use of the Seaway, in fact the St. Lawrence River, as well as the railway system, I think the member is essentially referring to intermodal transport.
I believe that, across Canada, intermodal transport is well established. I am proud to say that several years ago, Economic Development Canada, of which I am responsible for the regions of Quebec, took part in an intermodal transport pilot project using both the railway system and trailer trucks on the roads. The results were quite positive.
I would like to stress that the railway system and the waterways are used a lot for commercial traffic. The folks in the Port of Montreal would not be very happy to hear what the hon. member is saying because right now it is one of the largest container traffic centres in eastern Canada, and perhaps the whole of the country. It is extremely competitive. Naturally, it is very strategically located. It handles an enormous volume.
As for the question about airports, because of my role in regional development, I was involved in implementing the national airport policy. As I mentioned in my speech earlier, the objective of the policy—an objective which was commendable and supported by the public—was to ensure that communities could take back control and ownership of their own infrastructures, because they are better placed than governments to manage them and develop them with an eye to real needs.
I am happy to report today that the national airport policy was well implemented. The transfer went smoothly and I think that today the regions are proud to be able to work in partnership with the Canadian government.