David Collenette

[Wharf Maintenance, May 23rd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, officials from my department are examining all of the options for the Escoumins wharf. I am fully aware of the problem; it needs repairing. The person responsible for services was informed that there was a problem last year. We hope to come up with solutions in the coming weeks, between now and June.

[Wharf Maintenance, May 23rd, 2002]

I am sorry, Mr. Speaker, but I was otherwise engaged. I would ask that the question be repeated.

[Lewisporte Marine Terminal, May 23rd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, this has been the subject of discussion between myself and the secretary of state for ACOA. We obviously do not want any harm to come to the people in the hon. member's constituency. We take particular note of the challenges faced in the marine community and especially at the ports in Atlantic Canada.

[Infrastructure, May 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that study needs to be speeded up given the various problems we have had but there are other options the government is looking at. An infrastructure program was announced in the 2001 budget and those are matters under consideration.

This is still the number one surface transportation priority facing the government and the government, as I have said, will act.

[Infrastructure, May 21st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to congratulate the hon. member on his first question in the House.

I would like to remind him that the government signed an agreement with the government of the United States and the government of Ontario to plan for access toward the Ambassador Bridge which will look at all of the various options over the next coming years. We do realize however that there is an immediate problem that must be dealt with and the government will deal with that problem.

[Infrastructure, May 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the hon. member has been for the last few years, but in the 2000 budget $600 million was appropriated for highways across the country. Those are now being worked out in agreements with the provinces.

Two billion dollars was announced in the last budget for critical infrastructure and hopefully a lot of that can be spent on highways. In fact there has been a lot of discussion about highways in the last number of weeks. The government has programs and those programs will bear fruit.

The hon. member should realize that notwithstanding the criticism in 1999 by the auditor general, in the last auditor general's report Transport Canada was congratulated for remedying the situation.

[Infrastructure, May 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I must inform the hon. member that my departmental officials are monitoring the situation and are well aware of the problems experienced by many Quebec ports. We hope to be able to settle this issue.

[Lewisporte Marine Terminal, May 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, in my absence, there was apparently an answer given by the secretary for ACOA that talked about discussions underway with respect to this particular matter. I think the motivation for the question is not really the hon. member's concern about ferry service between Newfoundland and other parts of the country but rather a certain event that will happen on Monday which will show the Liberal members' return from Newfoundland.

[Mirabel Airport, May 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, ADM is responsible for managing the airports in a way that would demonstrate the viability of both airports. This is a collective responsibility.

It made a decision to transfer passenger flights to Dorval. This is a management decision made by ADM. As I have already stated, this respects the terms of the lease between ADM and the federal government.

[Mirabel Airport, May 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is fully aware of the national policy on airports. Under this policy, it is up to Aéroports de Montréal to manage the interests of the two airports in the Montreal region.

ADM has made a decision, and this decision respects the terms of its lease with the federal government.