Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that this is the first time that I have participated in adjournment proceedings. I assume that I start immediately and that my colleague will then second the motion.
On June 7, I gave the Minister of Transport the opportunity to clearly state his position on his commitment to moving the Canada Science and Technology Museum to Gatineau. The City of Gatineau passed motion No. CM-2006-363 on April 25, 2006, stating:
Whereas over 20 years ago the federal government decided to locate the Canada Science and Technology Museum in the former City of Hull;
Whereas the federal government is today preparing to relocate the Canada Science and Technology Museum;
Whereas new museums have been built and established in Ottawa recently, namely the National Gallery of Canada, the War Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the National Portrait Gallery, not to mention the $100,000 spent on renovations to the Museum of Nature;
Whereas it is vital to this Council that the Canada Science and Technology be located in Gatineau and thus that the decision previously made by the federal government to locate this museum in the former City of Hull be respected;
Whereas the City of Gatineau has two sites (Jacques Cartier Park and Des Chars de Combat Park) available for the Canada Science and Technology Museum;
It is proposed and unanimously resolved that this Council formally request the federal government locate the Canada Science and Technology Museum in the City of Gatineau.
This resolution was sent to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Minister of Transport, and to the federal and provincial members from the Outaouais.
That said, on April 13, before the Gatineau chamber of commerce, the Minister of Transport and the hon. member for Pontiac in the Outaouais formally promised to attract the museum to Gatineau. The same minister went back on his word in The Citizen on June 1 and Le Droit the following day.
I should hope that the Minister of Transport was having a momentary lapse and that it was not undue pressure from a federal cabinet colleague unaware of the promise to locate the Museum of Science and Technology in Gatineau that distracted him from his noble task, which is to defend the interests of the Outaouais.
During the last election campaign, the Minister of Transport kept saying that he wanted it to be understood that the region would come out a winner if it elected a minister. Since his election, it has been a lucky thing that the Bloc Québécois is in the Outaouais to remind the minister of his commitments.
Will the minister ensure that the Canada Museum of Science and Technology ends up in Gatineau as soon as possible?