Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Trois-Rivières. Obviously, people will listen to him.
Anything is possible. I find it interesting to hear the NDP talk about unions. I met with the president of the national union yesterday. Union representatives Normand Pelletier and Michèle Lafond thanked us and told us that, for once, someone was speaking on their behalf. What I can say is that we have put politics completely aside. My colleague from Trois-Rivières knows that. Infrastructure projects are a long time in the making.
I am pleased that the member for Trois-Rivières is rising because approximately 800 people in his riding must be watching us with great interest. We should be rising to keep those jobs. I have said it in front of the cameras: we are all for harmonizing, coordinating and modernizing. Obviously, we want to reduce the burden on Quebec taxpayers. However, with regard to the deadline, it is going to take some time to build one of the greenest buildings in the country. I cannot imagine that the NDP would be against that. As we said, we will consult the employees. There is a deadline. We said that we would hold a bidding process in the coming weeks. Geotechnical, environmental and design studies will be conducted. Work will begin right after that with the selection of a contractor in 2021. Construction will start in 2022 and be completed in 2024.
The train has already left the station. We cannot go back. The employees are the ones who deserve congratulations, not the politicians. We should congratulate the employees who stood up. They are the ones who will help keep this project going. The government has decided, and this is why we are launching a bidding process in the coming weeks. We want to make sure that this gets done.
I realize that we need to put an end to the uncertainty that has been created. I hope that no one else will rise in the House to undermine jobs in our regions. Our survival depends on them.