Chuck Strahl

[Ferry Services, November 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we have been having those discussions as he knows both with the ministers from Prince Edward Island as well as the tourism folks that were in town the other week. We had a good meeting with them.

Other discussions are taking place with Nova Scotia as well to talk about what the future of the Wood Islands ferry may look like. I know it is an important part of the transportation system in Prince Edward Island and discussions are taking place on what form that might take.

The ferry operators are involved as well. This is an important issue to the Government of Canada and we will be making a decision in due course.

[Infrastructure, November 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted today with this question because I hear the hon. member saying that there are tens of thousands of jobs being created by these projects. I remember last week when he said that there were not any jobs being created. He was kind of Mr. Humbug. Clearly the Federation of Canadian Municipalities says that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created.

We are working closely with the FCM and with the Government of Quebec. We are working with the proponents of these projects to see how we can work with them to adjust them. We always say that we will be fair and reasonable, and that is what we are doing.

[Infrastructure, November 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, this government is known for being fair and reasonable. That is how we are being on this case as well. We have been talking to all the provinces. We have been talking to the municipalities. They have been giving us the data on the status of their infrastructure projects.

What we do know so far is that it has helped to create about 420,000 or 430,000 net new jobs through the economic action plan. We are going to be working with them to be fair and reasonable. We have already done that by helping to re-scope some projects to ensure they can be done on time.

[Infrastructure, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, it has gone exceptionally well. The Auditor General audited this program. She said it is a model on how to roll out a big economic action plan.

Let me quote:

As we go into an era of deficit fighting, we cannot return to the 1990s--what we call the lost decade....We feel the economic action plan has been very successful, (but) we feel it's time to move on.

Who said that? Brock Carlton, the CEO of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said that. The municipalities know the 1990s, the Liberal era, the lost decade, the decade of darkness. What we are doing now is co-operative federalism with the municipalities.

[Infrastructure, November 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we have already announced that we are going to be very fair and reasonable on this. In fact, I have met now with virtually all of the transport and infrastructure ministers across the country. We are getting all the data in on the status of various projects from coast to coast. That data is very useful as we do an analysis of what projects may be at risk and how we can help.

When I met with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities executive last week I was able to show how, by working closely together, we were able to get not only the best projects for Canada but we were able to create some 420,000 to 430,000 new jobs. That obviously is good co-operation.

[Infrastructure, November 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we can see why the member is a trained economist.

Let me explain again. Say, for example, someone is going to replace the roof on his or her house. That individual employs a contractor. The people go to work on the house. They buy the materials. The engineers do their job. The inspectors do their work. Who in that house would pay the bill before the job was done or the bills were submitted or the inspection was done? I will tell the House who would do that. The Liberal Party of Canada would do it.

[Infrastructure, November 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, no money has been cut off at all.

Let me walk my colleague through the way the system works. The jobs start right away, people get employed, and the economy gets stimulated, 430,000 new jobs. The jobs are in place, the money is in place, but the bills have to be submitted by the provinces. As they submit the bills, we are eager to pay them.

The provinces have to submit the bills. The economic activity and the stimulus is already taking place.

[Infrastructure, November 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, of course we are concerned about first nations. We have invested a considerable amount of money on everything from housing to health care to safe water systems.

As to infrastructure, allocations in the last budget were targeted toward first nations communities. Sometimes proposals come through that do not meet the criteria or are not affordable by different levels of government. We do all that we can to meet the needs of first nations and other Canadians.

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Infrastructure Canada does not collect this information through any sections or schedules of the building Canada fund communities component agreements with provinces. Analysis on the job creation impacts on the Government of Canada’s economic action plan was presented in the sixth report to Canadians on the economic action plan released on September 27, 2010.

[Air Canada, November 4th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member and the committee for their work on this. They made a strong representation as did members of the government.

The government is working on legislation that will address this issue, and we hope to have it tabled very soon.