Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, as we have done so many times in the past, the Progressive Conservative Party called on the federal government to immediately enter into negotiations with the provinces to create a new joint national highway program. This program would give all provinces access to money that the federal government has collected through its fuel tax and use it toward improving safety on our highways.
Driving on our highways is fast becoming a growing concern for our safety. With more than 3,400 fatalities on Canada's roads every year, action must be taken to ensure safety on our highways. In Nova Scotia there have been some 50 fatalities on Highway 101 between Mount Uniacke and Digby since 1993.
The twinning of this section of Highway 101 would cost approximately $250 million, money the Nova Scotia government simply does not have. Yet Ottawa collects over $5 billion annually in fuel tax and spends a mere $300 million on roads. What is going on with the balance of $4.7 billion?
Each day that the government continues to ignore our deteriorating highway system another life is put at risk. I call on the Minister of Transport to immediately—