David Collenette

[Highway Infrastructure, October 22nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the extension of Highway 30 is a federal government priority. We are working in conjunction with the provincial government to determine all the costs and analyze all the facts before constructing this link that is so needed by Canadians, particularly the residents of Montreal.

[Water Contamination, October 22nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware, we have offered alternatives to the affected residents. That is the position of the federal government.

We continue to work with the population of the region on finding a long term solution.

[Transport, October 18th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I shall be meeting Secretary Mineta tomorrow to discuss the air security system and the financial health of airlines. Just before question period he called me to say that he will allow Air Canada to fly into Reagan national airport from Toronto as soon as possible. We hope that the flights from Montreal and Ottawa will be resumed shortly after that.

[Transportation, October 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that when that is the case those people in transit are required to go through security at the larger airports.

[Transportation, October 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, obviously as this machinery comes on line in the coming weeks and months it will be applied to the most sensitive parts of the country and the airports with the highest passenger inflows, the major international airports across the country, and then gradually will cover as many airports as is practical.

[Privilege, October 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I have just become aware of this so-called question of privilege from my colleague from Kootenay--Boundary--Okanagan. He is misplaced by raising this as a question of privilege.

It is true that in committee at the time he offered the fact, in response to the discussion about cockpit doors being ordered closed pursuant to regulation under the Aeronautics Act, that he had many occasions where pilots were not obeying us. I said to him that he had an obligation, as did any citizen, when they saw the law transgressed or if they suspected the law was being transgressed, to report it to the appropriate authorities. I would think that he should not contest that. That particular directive was well publicized.

I told the hon. member that we would make information available to him, as we do for committees in general. However, if he requires items that go beyond the scope of a particular discussion in a committee, he is free to use the access to information remedy.

He is mixing apples and oranges. He is somehow saying that his privileges have been infringed upon. I would say that he is not discharging his privileges if he does not come forward and give evidence, give flight numbers, give the time and the locations of these planes because the allegation is that he has been sitting on aircraft when the law is being broken.

[Highway Infrastructure, October 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, my honourable colleague knows very well we have an infrastructure program for highways across the country. It is a $600 million program.

The provinces and the federal government split costs 50:50, and the provinces establish the priorities; this is a provincial responsibility in the context of a national highway system.

[Terrorism, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I should remind the hon. member that the FAA has requested foreign airlines to re-enter the U.S. market but has made no request for them to have any armed personnel on board. The one exception would be for Air Canada, which is treated as a U.S. domestic airline under the open skies agreement, to go to Reagan national. That means Air Canada and other airlines are allowed to fly into the U.S. without armed personnel on board as are foreign carriers from overseas.

[Terrorism, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member heard my answer to the right hon. member for Calgary Centre. We said that was not a direction in which we wish to move. We wanted to improve security on the ground.

However one special case has arisen with respect to Air Canada being allowed back into Reagan national airport, which is why we made the announcement on Friday to permit the RCMP to go on those flights should Air Canada be permitted by the U.S. government.

[National Security, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the right hon. member will remember that I have talked in the House about improving security at Canada's airports so that we would not need armed personnel on aircraft.

However the issue of Air Canada returning to Reagan national airport is a special case. Air Canada is treated as the only foreign airline that has domestic status. That was hard fought in the open skies agreement. All we have said is that if this is a precondition for Air Canada returning to that airport we will allow the RCMP to be on board.