Denis Lebel

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 3rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, in March 2007, NAV Canada submitted terms of reference on the projected airspace changes to the Windsor-Toronto-Montreal, WTM, corridor. Transport Canada accepted the proposed changes in October 2008 and the changes were implemented on February 9, 2012.

With regard to (a), the Windsor-Toronto-Montreal, WTM, corridor was affected by the flight path changes. The following major airports were affected by these modifications: Toronto--Pearson, Ottawa, Montreal--Trudeau and Quebec City. Owing to the nature of these changes, airports in the vicinity of the major aerodromes were also affected, such as Windsor, London, Kitchener, Hamilton, Oshawa, Toronto--Buttonville, Toronto--Downsview and Toronto--City Centre. The proposal also affected flight training areas in the vicinity of Toronto--Pearson.

With regard to (b), members are requested to contact NAV Canada for this information.

With regard to (c), the purpose of these changes was to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as well as to improve cost efficiency.

With regard to (d), members are requested to contact NAV Canada for information on the consultations process.

[Transport Canada, May 2nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we have met our obligation to keep the dock equipment in working order as per the agreement that we have with the Province of Ontario. My department is working in partnership with the province to find a long-term solution to challenges posed by these historically low water levels. For months, my department has encouraged the province to explore modifications to its ferry to facilitate docking.

[Transport Canada, May 2nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, passenger and crew safety aboard vessels is of the utmost importance to Transport Canada. My department is already in touch with this organization and we will very clearly follow this issue and ensure that safety is very strong there.

[Health, April 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning, even well before this issue became public, the Quebec Port Authority and its users were involved in all of the committees, studies and research.

As with all the ports across the country, we appointed competent people to run the Port of Québec. These ports are not being managed from Ottawa. The people on location in the community are managing these ports.

Is the hon. member saying that the CEO, Mario Girard, is not doing his job properly, when he is widely recognized as a good administrator?

Is he saying that Éric Dupont, the chairman of the board of directors, who is known worldwide as a great administrator, is not doing his job?

What is it that he does not understand? I do not know.

[Questions on the Order Paper, April 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the construction and operating standards for residential septic and sewage systems are regulated by provincial and territorial governments. These standards, and any costs associated with upgrades, vary by jurisdiction and by municipality. To that end, Infrastructure Canada does not have any information in respect of the costs of upgrading standards for privately owned residential septic systems.

The Government of Canada has made significant investments in public waste water infrastructure, including approximately $1.8 billion through the building Canada fund and several economic action plan programs since 2007, as well as over $625 million under the gas tax fund since 2005. In addition, public waste water infrastructure will continue to be eligible under the new building Canada fund and the renewed gas tax fund as announced in budget 2013.

[1982 Repatriation of the Constitution, April 24th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we have said it before: we have no interest in revisiting old constitutional squabbles.

The Supreme Court of Canada will determine what happened during the time of Trudeau's Liberal government.

The hon. member should know that lawyers and public servants are responsible for making decisions regarding access to information for federal documents, in accordance with the law. Public servants will do their work.

[Transport Canada, April 24th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada recognizes the role this ferry plays in serving the local communities and in providing a transportation link between Manitoulin Island and Tobermory.

Transport Canada is aware that the Great Lakes water levels are at a significantly low level across the entire Great Lakes system. The department is currently in discussion with the province and will continue to work on this issue.

[Champlain Bridge, April 22nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the day we announced the new bridge project—October 5, 2001—we said that it would include public transit. As we have been saying from the beginning, public transit is a provincial jurisdiction and we will respect that. In the 2007-2014 plan for Canada, the provinces decided to use up to 68% of the budget envelope for public transit. We will soon have a new infrastructure plan, and it will be up to the provinces to use those funds as they wish. We are pleased that Quebec has made a decision. This will allow us to move forward with our plans concerning the new bridge over the St. Lawrence.

[Regional Economic Development, April 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, families are affected every time a company decides to shut down. That is a given. If these companies decide to shut down, it is because, unfortunately, they can no longer afford to be in business. We respect the private sector. We support each and every region, but we will not manage each individual company.

That said, I have had the honour of making a number of announcements in Mauricie, and there are more to come. Take, for example, Premier Aviation in Trois-Rivières, which is doing an exceptional job in aircraft maintenance. Then there is Delastek in Louiseville, which is another success story. We will continue to work with the people in the region and support the economies of all of the regions in Quebec.

[1982 Repatriation of the Constitution, April 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we have no interest in revisiting old constitutional squabbles.

The Supreme Court of Canada is responsible for determining what happened during the time of Trudeau's Liberal government in 1982. Lawyers and public servants are responsible for making decisions regarding access to information for federal documents, in accordance with the law.

We have an economic action plan and that is what we will be working on.