Madam Speaker, public transit is an important part of city building. It is also a critical part of our plan to transition to a low-carbon economy. I am proud of the commitment our government has made to support communities across the country to build public transit, especially in my city of Toronto.
Just over a year ago, the mayor of Toronto announced that a critical piece of our public transit, the downtown relief line, was shovel ready. This was a plan that was supported by the community, and the federal government had provided support in designing this plan.
Unfortunately, these plans were thrown out by Doug Ford. He imposed a new proposal on the community, one that would impact parks, a community centre and a seniors home, raising serious concerns in the community about safety and quality of life. Over 800 residents attended a meeting this week to raise these concerns.
I applaud the members of the EastEnd Transit Alliance for making sure these community voices are heard and that there is meaningful consultation. Let us build safe transit, and let us build it right.