Mr. Speaker, I am rising again as I have so many other times in the chamber to talk about a border situation that is very important for this nation. Along the corridor that I represent in Windsor West, approximately 30% to 35% of the nation's trade with America takes place. Over $1 billion per day, often up to 30,000 trucks, or 10,000 vehicles traverse that border daily.
We have been trying to get a new border crossing for some time. In fact, in the year 2000 when I was then a city councillor, I proposed and established a community movement with others to create a new border crossing. It was described by some at the time as a pipe dream. If we fast forward over several years to where we are today, we finally have the potential for a new border crossing from Windsor to Detroit, which once again would provide modern, new infrastructure.
The government had to be dragged kicking and screaming to finally get a border solution, which it inherited from the Conservatives but the process is breaking down. The Windsor-Detroit border authority was basically put in a situation of having to build a new border crossing for our community and country, something that has been advocated not only for the community, to get international trucks off the city streets, but also for our economy, as we have a number of different suppliers involved, including those making just-in-time deliveries, and everything one could imagine from automotive to agriculture exports. In fact, 12% of the GTA's overall economy is dependent on the border crossing in Windsor, and even up to 8% to 10% of Montreal's.
We have a significant economic footprint that would basically grind to a halt if we do not fix the border crossings in Windsor. We are dependent upon the nearly 90-year-old infrastructure with the Ambassador Bridge. We also have a Windsor-Detroit tunnel and a more modern ferry service, but it is not as robust as necessary to service everything. It does an excellent job for chemicals and hazardous materials, but it cannot accommodate mass volume; hence, a border process has been in place.
However, we know that in the past the Liberals have succumbed to lobbying and the wishes of a few at the expense of the community. One of those concerns is the ownership of the Ambassador Bridge, which is in private American hands right now. A billionaire owns that bridge and basically controls the economic levers for Canada in many senses. Because it is private property, it was not until we had the International Bridges and Tunnels Act that we had a process in place to inspect the bridge properly and, as a result, enforcement powers over it.
When are we going to get this new border crossing completed? The road has been completed and the request for proposals was supposed to be out to build this new bridge. Everything has been done. Because of the government's lack of planning, we are doing all the work necessary. Why are there continuing delays in putting the RFP out and to the border crossing being built by 2020? Why is the government not meeting that mandate?