Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to participate in today's debate. Before I get into my speech, I would like say two things.
First, I want to say that I will be sharing my time with the member for Châteauguay—Les Jardins-de-Napierville.
Second, I, too, would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of one of my staffers. MPs are nothing without their teams to do the day-to-day work. They support us and assist us. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending an awards ceremony where Louise Goulet received a certificate of recognition. Louise has been working with me for 10 years and she helped me with my first election campaign in 2015. She is always there faithfully serving the extraordinary interests of the people of Hull—Aylmer. I am very grateful to Louise, as well as to Martin, Nicolas, Rania, Mamadou, Elsa and Valérie for all of their help.
I also want to say that, next week, after several months of working with the hon. member for Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, Shane Atienza will be moving to my office for the coming months. He is a parliamentary intern. This is an extraordinary program, and I encourage all members to submit a request for an intern at the next available opportunity.
High-speed rail will fundamentally change the way people travel between Quebec City and Toronto. It is going to provide faster, more reliable and more sustainable service in the busiest corridor not only in Canada but, frankly, in North America. Cutting travel time in half would mean travelling from Ottawa to Montreal in less than an hour, from Ottawa to Toronto in less than two hours. This will not only change everyday travel patterns, it will expand access to jobs, talent and markets.
This increased connectivity will strengthen regional supply chains, support labour mobility and create conditions conducive to stronger economic growth. It will bring communities and businesses closer together, support new investment and innovation, and provide Canadians with a modern, reliable, low-emission means of transportation that will strengthen our competitiveness.
The high-speed rail initiative is necessary because the current transportation infrastructure has already reached its limits. Within the next 15 years, the population will increase to as many as 24 million Canadians living in the corridor between Quebec City and Toronto. We know full well that our highways are already operating at maximum capacity when it comes to traffic. It is very important to have a new rail system available. As I said, this train will be fast, reliable, and will truly serve Canadians.
In a time of global economic uncertainty, the high-speed rail initiative represents a historic opportunity to invest in Canada's future. This is a strategic step toward building a more resilient and competitive economy, one that is better positioned to withstand external pressures, including the growing threat of tariffs.
Major infrastructure projects like this one create jobs. For the high-speed rail project, we expect to support more than 50,000 jobs during the design and construction phases alone. This project will draw on Canadian expertise, including engineers, land surveyors, architects and rail specialists. It will also generate strong demand for Canadian materials and services.
The proponent of this project, Alto, estimates that the combined effect on productivity, the labour market and tourism will result in an annual increase of $35 billion.
The benefits extend far beyond the immediate impact. In the long term, high-speed rail will connect major hubs across provincial borders, creating a more resilient economy by facilitating interprovincial trade. This is a priority we all recognize in the current economic climate.
This fully electric high-speed train will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This will be equivalent to taking more than 100,000 cars off the road. This legislation also ensures that the impact assessment process will apply to every segment of the project, placing consultation and environmental protection at the very heart of this initiative.
I was involved in the launch of this project. The mayor of Ottawa was there. The mayor of Gatineau was unable to attend because she was at another event, but she wanted to be there. The City of Montreal unanimously passed a resolution to promote and support this project.
This is a project that has been discussed for decades. Now that we have reached the point where we can take action, there are people who want to slow down the process. This is no longer acceptable.
This project is clearly in the best interests of everyone, Quebec, Ontario and Canada as a whole. It is time to take action.
The federal government's buy Canadian policy is essential to strengthening our national industries and supporting good jobs for Canadians. As we move forward with high-speed rail, we will prioritize the use of Canadian-made materials whenever possible. These measures will help to create an environment favourable to Canadian products and strengthen our domestic industrial capacity.
As we move forward with this transformative initiative, we are encouraged by the clear signals of support from Quebeckers. This project is supported by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and several several chambers of commerce in the corridor between Quebec and Ontario.
This is a tremendous opportunity to transform our country, modernize our economy and create infrastructure that will be used for decades, if not a century.
By building a faster, more efficient and more reliable rail network, the high-speed rail initiative will strengthen the capacity of Canada's supply chains and stimulate long-term growth.
This initiative, which has the support of provincial partners, is enthusiastically welcomed by municipalities and aligns with national priorities, reflects a shared commitment to modern infrastructure, strong domestic industries and a connected and competitive Canada.
I am certain that, together, we are investing in a future in which Canadians will benefit from greater opportunities and our economy will be more resilient, more dynamic and better positioned to succeed in a rapidly changing world. It is a project for the 21st century.