Mr. Speaker, since July 2023, we have been calling on the government to take responsibility for water contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from CFB Bagotville.
Water treatment costs have skyrocketed, and Saguenay will have to spend $7 million a year to provide residents of La Baie with drinking water until a permanent solution can be found. Quick action is imperative before these expenses turn into taxes for Saguenay residents. Municipal taxes should be used to fund city services, not to fix the federal government's mistakes. Unfortunately, the costly Conservative-Liberal coalition seems unwilling to accept its responsibility. As their reign draws to a close, the Liberals would rather drag things out and then pass the buck to the next government. The Conservative member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord is afraid to make commitments. He is so strangely silent on this issue that residents of La Baie are thinking of putting his picture on a milk carton to track him down.
Hope, however, is on the horizon: A responsible Bloc Québécois member is going to be elected in the riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.