Mr. Speaker, I want to wish all my colleagues in the House a good morning. This is a wonderful opportunity for the government, for myself, for the government team and even for the opposition team to come together and support a promising project, a major project, a project that will benefit all Canadians, particularly those living along the corridor, as well as their children and grandchildren.
The Alto high-speed rail project is a perfect example of what we need to accomplish together as a country. It is a perfect symbol of how united two of our largest provinces are when it comes to tackling climate change, improving congestion and efficiency in our transportation systems, and enhancing Canadians' quality of life in their day-to-day lives, whether they will be taking this train once, occasionally or every day.
Today, I want to talk about this major project, the enthusiasm it is generating across Canada and the profound changes it will make to our economy and to people's lives. I will then talk about Bill C‑15, how vitally important it is to the project's success and the consultations we are carrying out to make sure it is done right. Lastly, I want to speak directly to the people of Mirabel.
The high-speed rail project is inspiring people in Quebec, in Ontario and across Canada. There is huge public interest. We need only look at the people who are flocking to the open houses, the public consultations, to get a preview of this major project, which would be the first of its kind in North America. They are so proud. As Laval's mayor, Stéphane Boyer, said when the announcement was made in December, this is a project that will transform our country and bring Canada fully into the 21st century. The enthusiasm goes far beyond partisan lines. The former Bloc member for Trois‑Rivières, René Villemure, who was the Bloc Québécois transport critic, no less, said he was relieved and delighted when the high-speed rail project was announced.
We all agree that this is a transformative, major project. The corridor that will be served by high-speed rail is home to more than half of Canada's population. It includes our major financial centres, important manufacturing hubs, world-class universities, and innovation clusters. In Mirabel, for example, the aerospace and aeronautics sector is a strong, strategic and valuable pillar of the economy. It is clearly renowned. Mirabel's aerospace cluster is known all over Canada. I have been to the region myself on several occasions. The member for Mirabel is right to say that his constituents are welcoming, but above all, they are forward-looking. Like all Canadians, they are concerned about their children's future. They want to see development in their region and investment in the institutions and capabilities that will enable continued growth.
Together with the member for Thérèse-De Blainville, the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles and the member for Les Pays-d'en-Haut, we form a core team strong enough to continuously ensure a bright economic future and offer ideas and opportunities to the people of Mirabel. We are proud of that.
However, when we look at the entire transportation corridor between Quebec City and Toronto, we must face a harsh reality. Our transportation system is on its last legs. One only has to take a drive down Highway 20 or the 401, or try to get around Quebec City, Ottawa or Gatineau during rush hour. We simply have to make major investments in our highways and in our rail system. We are dealing with clogged highways, overcrowded airports and a rail system where freight trains take precedence over passenger trains.
It is high time we took action. It is time to reduce the pressure on this corridor, which is critical to our economy and to Canadians' quality of life. High-speed rail will change that reality. It will significantly reduce travel times. It will provide a reliable, modern, low-emission transportation option on dedicated tracks. It will enhance workforce mobility and unlock billions of dollars in economic productivity. The project will also help increase the housing supply. It will create more than 50,000 jobs over 10 years and lower Canada's greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tonnes. This is not just a transportation project. It is an economic transformation. It is an investment in Canada's future.
This is all the more important in the current economic climate, especially with what we are experiencing with our neighbours to the south. High-speed rail will boost long-term productivity by expanding labour markets, attracting private investment, and supporting housing growth in the country's most densely populated communities. This is an essential upgrade to a congested transportation network at the heart of Canada's most populous corridor. If Canada wants to remain competitive in an ever-changing global economy, this is exactly the kind of infrastructure we need.
However, it is also clear to us that this project cannot succeed without the support of Canadians. That is why we are doing a lot of consulting and a lot of listening. Since January, Alto and the Government of Canada have been carrying out extensive public consultations, which we announced in December, to help Canadians prepare, ask questions and fully understand the extensive rail line being proposed. In addition to the many studies already completed, Alto has launched an in-depth public consultation process. These consultations will discuss, in particular, route options, station locations, environmental mitigation measures, noise, vibrations, as well as land use and protection. These consultations include virtual sessions, an online information platform and open houses in several communities between Toronto and Quebec City. There will be more. I encourage Canadians who have not yet participated to make their voices heard.
I want to be very clear. These are not meetings where decisions have already been made. On the contrary. If someone asks, “Where will the station be?”, the answer will not be, “Here is where it will be.” The answer will be, “Where do you think it should be, in your opinion?” That is what real and meaningful consultation looks like.
Furthermore, Alto and the Government of Canada are committed to building and maintaining respectful relationships with indigenous communities along the corridor. Engagement with indigenous communities began several years ago and continues today through a targeted consultation process. Bill C‑15 clearly recognizes the importance of indigenous knowledge and provides for its protection. This is how we build modern, linear infrastructure with and for communities.
I would also like to set the record straight in the House: Informing people that land may be required for a project does not automatically mean the land will be expropriated. If expropriation is necessary, it would be carried out in accordance with the expropriation regime in force, with the adjustments provided for in Bill C‑15. The basic rules regarding notice, objection, compensation, assessment, reimbursement of reasonable costs and access to the courts remain unchanged and continue to be governed by the Expropriation Act. Anyone who says otherwise is not being upfront.
I would also like to address a concern raised recently, namely the idea that land can be appropriated by email. Let us be very clear: This is not how expropriation works in Canada, and it will certainly not be the case for Alto, the high-speed rail project. Email cannot be used for expropriation. It is only an optional communication tool used after discussions have begun, and only—I repeat, only—if the owner voluntarily chooses that means of communication. Registered mail remains the norm and it is still fully available, even in the law. Anyone who says otherwise is not being upfront.
The high-speed rail project remains fully subject to the Impact Assessment Act. Yes, certain measures are designed to avoid duplication between federal processes, but this is a matter of making the process more efficient, not weakening it. The project will be thoroughly assessed in terms of environmental impacts, climate impacts, effects on communities, indigenous rights and, of course, long-term sustainability. Nothing in this robust assessment will weaken the project. On the contrary, it will strengthen it. Anyone who says or claims that there is no environmental impact is not being upfront.
Now, I want to address the people of Mirabel directly. This is important.
The Mirabel airport project is one of the most frequently cited examples in Canadian history of what happens when large infrastructure projects are built without taking into account local populations and the reality of communities. It is important to note that this reality has been recognized not only by critics, but also by governments themselves, as the member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill just mentioned.
In April 2019, Transport Canada announced that it was restarting the process to sell or return 748 acres of land expropriated in 1969 to the previous owners. As my colleague noted, by that time, the Government of Canada had already returned nearly 90,000 acres of land to Mirabel-area residents through two separate programs in 1985 and 2008. In April 2019, the then minister of transport, the late Marc Garneau, who is in our thoughts every day, announced that Ottawa had made a big mistake 50 years earlier. It is quite clear, obvious even, that he was right. He apologized to the people of Mirabel and to the families who had fallen victim to these expropriations.
This kind of recognition is important. It conveys a fundamental truth: Governments must be able to acknowledge and learn from past mistakes instead of pretending they never happened. I can assure the people of Mirabel, Quebeckers, Ontarians and all Canadians that the Government of Canada is fully aware of these lessons. I would even go so far as to say that both levels of government are fully aware of them.
When a project of such major economic and national significance is being considered, it should be subjected to rigorous review. It should be subjected to thorough analysis. Everything should be done properly in the planning stages and on the ground. The expropriation of the Mirabel airport lands showed us what happens when we take the wrong approach to building. That is absolutely not what will happen with the Alto high-speed train. Anyone who says otherwise is not being upfront.
It will be located where millions of Canadians live and work, in Canada's most densely populated corridor. As the mayor of Quebec City, Bruno Marchand, said, this project will have a major impact on getting people, including workers, from point A to point B more efficiently. This is a major project for Trois‑Rivières, Montreal, Laval and Quebec City.
This project meets a real need. We need to reduce congestion on our roads and get people moving faster and more efficiently.
There is this phenomenon in Canada that does not work in our favour. If all we are doing is adding another process, new wording in a law, another step or something else that does not really improve what we already have, what are we adding?
We are adding delays. Canadians are being deprived of the opportunity to use one type of infrastructure or another. We are adding costs. In this case, it will cost about $5 billion more per year. Therefore, reducing the high-speed rail planning stage from eight to four years, which is what we are proposing, will save Canadians $20 billion. That is a rough estimate, but an estimate nonetheless. Delays cost money.
Canadians spoke loud and clear in last April's election: It is time to build Canada strong. It is high time we get nation-building projects off the ground. It is time to stop beating around the bush and make major investments that will improve the lives of our young people and grow our economic capacity. The part of our economic capacity that hinges on trade with the United States will decrease.
Imagine a student living in Ottawa who wants to enrol in a program at the Université du Québec à Trois‑Rivières. That student could go to class and come back the same day or go there three days a week. Imagine a worker in Peterborough, a small town, who could go to work in downtown Toronto and thus contribute to the Canadian economy while enjoying life in a small town. It is the same thing in Trois‑Rivières. A business person from Laval could realistically get to Toronto to do business in record time and come home the same day.
This is a linear project. Not a single metre can be missing. It is a project that does not like curves. The high-speed train is a promising project that will be built in a 60-metre-wide corridor. I want to reassure the people of Mirabel and everyone who lives along the line. First, we will use public rights-of-way. Second, if we do need to acquire land, we will do so with as little disruption as possible.
Third, people will be fully compensated, down to the last penny, for the market value of their land.
Three cheers for Alto, Canada and major projects. Let us make this happen.