Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to talk about how the people of Pontiac feel about the replacement of the Des Alumettes Bridge, which crosses our magnificent Ottawa River.
The federal government promised millions of dollars in 2011 for the bridge linking l'Isle-aux-Allumettes in Quebec and Pembroke in Ontario.
The first thought is job creation. Everyone knows that the unemployment rate in the northwestern part of my beautiful riding of Pontiac is close to 10%. Many of my constituents were hoping to find jobs working on the bridge replacement.
Second, the people of Pontiac are wondering whether this announcement was nothing more than an opportunity for the Conservative Party to award bogus contracts to their friends.
Third, will we get this new bridge as promised on the government's website? I hope the government will take note of my constituents' thoughts.