Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise and address the House on Bill C-3, the international bridges and tunnels act. I am pleased that this is the first piece of legislation introduced into this Parliament after Bill C-2, the federal accountability act.
I congratulate my colleague, the Minister of Transport, for taking this initiative so quickly into the life of the 39th Parliament. Some of the issues in this bill were addressed in the 38th Parliament, but, I make the point again, by introducing them in the dying days of that Parliament, they had no chance of being enacted. So, I am pleased at his initiative and I thank him, as well, for giving me the honour of seconding the introduction of the bill.
I know how hard the member for Essex worked on this issue and I am pleased to be joined by my colleague from the Niagara Peninsula, the member for Niagara West—Glanbrook. He and I, in the 38th Parliament, had many discussions on all aspects of border issues and the international bridges, and the importance that they represent, not only to our area but to the country.
When we look at the perspective of our vital trade relationship with the United States and the communities and families dependent upon stable trade, Bill C-3 is an important part of our future and infrastructure renewal process.
In my remarks, I will discuss the role of Bill C-3, the international bridges and tunnels act, in the future construction of international bridges and tunnels, and the impacts that these fixed links have on our prosperity and economic security.
Finally, I want to address the importance of this bill in my area of Niagara Falls, which is home to four international bridges. Anybody who has grown up in the Niagara Peninsula, as my colleague from Niagara West—Glanbrook and myself have, can attest to their importance and are very familiar with those four international crossings.
I dare say, and I may be corrected but I do not think so, we have more international crossings in the Niagara Peninsula than any other area of the country. I do not know of anybody else who has more than four international bridges.
We have the Lewiston-Queenston bridge. I am just old enough to remember when that came into service, in the fall of 1960. I remember us talking in school how pleased we were and how pleased our area was to have the new crossing between the village of Queenston and Lewiston, New York.
For many years, we have been serviced by the Whirlpool Bridge in Niagara. It is now a NEXUS bridge. One has to have a NEXUS pass, which is part of the security operations between our two countries and is a process that expedites traffic for frequent crossers between the two countries.
In Fort Erie, we have the Peace Bridge. I do not know if there are too many Canadians who would not know about the Peace Bridge and its importance to international trade.
Finally, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, we have the Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge has been in operation for a little over 65 years. This is where many of the tourists who visit from the United States cross over into Niagara. This is one of the major gateways to Canada. The Rainbow Bridge was a replacement for the old Honeymoon City Bridge in the mid-1930s.
In the winter of 1936 there was a huge ice jam on the lower Niagara River. I must explain to people that there actually is very little ice in the Niagara Peninsula and my colleague will attest to that fact. It is sometimes known as the banana belt of Canada and we wear that label very proudly. It is a little more mild than most places in Canada. In that particular year, the lower Niagara River was jammed with ice that came from other parts of the province, from up north.
In that particular year, the lower Niagara River was jammed with ice that had come from other parts of the province up north. It worked its way down and lodged in the lower Niagara River just below the American Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Over the course of several weeks, the buildup of ice eventually knocked out the underpinnings of the Honeymoon Bridge. After the collapse of that bridge, there was a scramble to replace the structure because of its vital importance.
Interestingly enough, while one might think it was the federal government that stepped in to replace that structure, that was actually not the case. Members of the House and certainly Canadians know the difficult times the 1930s posed. Money was in very short supply. One of the options that did not come to fruition was a federal government span.
Provincial resources and initiatives at the provincial level replaced the old Honeymoon Bridge with what came to be known as the Rainbow Bridge, the one that people know today. That bridge was marked by a ceremony in 1939, during the first visit of a reigning monarch to Canada. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the Niagara area. Queen Elizabeth, known to most of us as the Queen Mother, inaugurated the Queen Elizabeth Way in the summer of 1939. As well it marked the beginning of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls.
That has been a very important part of the history of our area. Indeed when I returned to the House of Commons in 2004 after an absence of a number of years, in one of my first addresses to Parliament I talked about border issues, about the bridges in our area. One member said to me that it was nice to hear me talk about those bridges and of course it is important to me because I come from Niagara Falls and I have all these international spans. I replied that the international spans are important to the Niagara Falls riding and the Niagara Peninsula, but they are important to all of Canada. That is why we all have to be very concerned about what happens at Canada's international borders. It is not just a Niagara issue. It is not just an Ontario issue. It is a Canadian issue.
I am very pleased about anything that clarifies the governance and the regulation issues. Canada's border is a subject in which I am very interested. Again, I appreciate that my colleague, the Minister of Transport, introduced this bill in the House of Commons right after the federal accountability act.
The Canada-U.S. trade relationship is the largest bilateral exchange in the world and supports millions of jobs in each country. Since the implementation of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 1989, two-way traffic has tripled. Under NAFTA, trade has grown steadily each year with over $1.8 billion worth of goods and services crossing the border every single day. NAFTA trade with the United States is responsible for more than half of our gross domestic product.
I am proud to have been part of the government which fought hard to negotiate and ratify the free trade agreement. Its legacy is one of economic prosperity and vibrant job creation.
I have to note in passing that what we heard today was déjà vu. All the people who were not able to figure out how important free trade would be to Canada cannot figure out how important the deal is on softwood lumber. It was the same thing. Some members of the opposition told me they did not like the agreement. I told them that our Prime Minister has pulled together a consensus of most of the industry. He has gathered the support of Atlantic Canada, the three largest provinces in Canada, all under Liberal governments, and two countries. That is not an agreement; that is a miracle.
I know how significant and important the implementation of free trade was back in 1989. There were naysayers but they all came on board eventually. I do not have to tell hon. members that in 13 years of Liberal administration the Liberals did not want to touch one bit of that. They may not have made a decision on anything else but they certainly did not want to make any decisions to change that. It will stand the test of time.
Getting back to the importance of Bill C-3, it is absolutely essential that we have clarity at our borders. On average, over 45,000 trucks cross the border every day and those 45,000 trucks are crossing in approximately eight to ten traffic. Add to the mix hundreds of thousands of cars and there always is that potential for bottlenecks. There is a potential for slowdowns at the border. This is something we must always be aware of.
I am very pleased that Bill C-3 will clarify the rules and clearly establish the federal government's role. The proposed bill would prohibit the construction or alteration of an international bridge or tunnel without the approval of the governor in council.
As set out in the bill, approval would be sought by making an application to the Minister of Transport in accordance with the guidelines governing the approval process established by the minister. If these guidelines are followed and the terms and conditions that may be imposed by the minister during the process are met, then the minister will recommend to the governor in council to approve the construction. That is a good idea and it is the way it should be done.
Currently there exists no formal process for approving the construction of new international bridges and tunnels. There are a number of permits and approvals that must be obtained. This is the way it has been in the past for everything under Fisheries and Oceans Canada, even as part of Transport Canada under the Navigable Waters Protection Act, but each of these permits is for a particular purpose. There is no legislation that deals specifically with the subject of Bill C-3, international bridge crossings and tunnels.
For example, in the case of approvals that must be sought under the Navigable Waters Protection Act, the goal is to protect navigable waters and ensure that navigation is not disrupted. That is all well and good and these are all important, but the time has come to pass legislation of this particular type.
We have noticed over the years that it has been, quite frankly, a patchwork of different arrangements, private, municipal, provincial or federal. As I indicated earlier in talking about the history of the Niagara area, these were sometimes brought about because of necessity. We are not attempting in any way to alter that state of ownership, but the federal government has to lead. This is why I appreciate the leadership of my colleague.
I think this will be welcomed by our American colleagues. Of course, as are many of the things we do, this is a partnership with our major trading partner, but I am quite sure the Americans will welcome this. I know the people of the Niagara Peninsula will welcome it. Again I thank my colleague for bringing this so quickly to the attention of the House.