Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the opportunity to address an issue that is important to the people of his riding and indeed many New Brunswickers. I commend the member for his work on this file over the past several years. I also want to recognize the members for New Brunswick Southwest and Fundy Royal who have made countless representations to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities as well as the Prime Minister in support of this project.
I assure the hon. member and his constituents that the government understands that the Saint John harbour cleanup is a priority for the citizens of Saint John. We are committed to taking actions that will provide Canadians with clean water and a clean environment.
My colleague, the member for Saint John, will recall that the Prime Minister was in Saint John in March 2006, shortly after he was sworn in as Prime Minister. He was there to see firsthand the details of the project. The Prime Minister announced that the new Government of Canada was committed to the cleanup of the harbour. On that occasion the Prime Minister announced a commitment of $8.5 million as an important first step.
The first phase of the harbour cleanup is ongoing and we are actively working on phase 2 which represents a contribution of $27 million from all three levels of government.
As we committed to doing so with budget 2006, over the summer we consulted with provinces, territories and the municipal sector to seek views on a long term framework for infrastructure as part of fiscal balance consultations.
The Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick discussed the cleanup of the Saint John harbour which we recognize as a priority for the province. Budget 2006 provided an unprecedented level of support for infrastructure in Canada. Leading up to budget 2007 “Advantage Canada” reinforced this commitment. We are working on a comprehensive infrastructure plan that will include long term predictable funding as well as programing to support: first, improvements to the core national highway system; second, large scale provincial, territorial and municipal projects such as public transit; and, third, small scale municipal projects in addition to waste water management projects.
Once policy and program designs have been approved for the infrastructure plan, we look forward to moving forward on specific projects in New Brunswick as well as elsewhere in Canada.
The work we are doing now will ensure that federal infrastructure programs are accountable to Canadians and provide value for money, and meet the top priorities of provinces and cities, such as New Brunswick and Saint John.
I want to reiterate our commitment for the cleanup of the Saint John harbour. The government looks forward to working with the province and the city of Saint John on this project in the months and years to come.