Denis Lebel

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, on October 5, 2011, I announced that the Government of Canada will proceed with a new bridge for the St. Lawrence River in the Montreal region. The planning process for this major infrastructure project is well under way and will take several years to complete. The government has already initiated consultations with key stakeholders, which include the Government of Quebec, regional mayors and industry representatives. The government intends to continue consulting them regularly throughout the bridge planning process.

Based on the information currently available, the cost of this new bridge, with associated work on the entire corridor, including the reconstruction of a section of Highway 15, the replacement of the Nuns’ Island Bridge and a new alignment of the new bridge with Highway 10 on the South Shore, is estimated to be between $3 billion and $5 billion. This estimate is very preliminary and expected to be refined as work progresses and bridge designs are firmed up. All decisions will be taken in a fiscally responsible manner. In this regard, the creation of a public-private partnership to build and maintain the new bridge, as well as the use of tolls, will be examined.

Our government recognizes the importance of public transit for the residents of the greater Montreal area, who cross the bridge morning and evening. As such, the new bridge for the St. Lawrence will likely encompass a public transit component, and we will work closely with the Government of Quebec in that regard.

[Infrastructure, November 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands how important infrastructure is in this country. That is why we have launched the historic $33 billion building Canada fund and made the gas tax a $2 billion permanent transfer to our cities. We will continue to work with provinces and municipalities, and we will continue to support them.

[Infrastructure, November 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, never before has a government provided as much assistance for municipal infrastructure renewal. Never.

It is easy for the NDP to congratulate itself on funding infrastructure with a $21 billion carbon tax. That is not what we are going to do. We are going to take into consideration the fiscal capacity of Canadian taxpayers, and we will build a new infrastructure plan that will make sense and support municipalities and provinces across the country.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the bill and its amendments will improve navigation everywhere in Canada, including in British Columbia, and do not in any way eliminate the other departments' responsibilities.

All projects must continue to comply with federal legislation, such as the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, the Fisheries Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, and many others.

Many measures will continue to protect nature. And we will look after navigation.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we have not abandoned the protection of waterways. We have many rules and acts to protect that. In our department, we have to protect and control navigation. That is what we have done.

I want to be clear when I say that 98% of the applications received have never posed a threat to navigation. That means that they want to invest money for absolutely nothing. This is not the case. This would not be a responsible use of taxpayers dollars and shows just how much change is needed. That is why we are reforming the act. Now our resources can focus on waterways navigation.

[The Environment, November 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is talking about herons, while we on the other hand are talking about boats. That makes all the difference. We are talking about two completely different things. What we want to talk about is navigation. We want to manage any area where navigation is used. Environment officials will manage the environment and Fisheries and Oceans people will manage their department. The opposition members are mixing everything up.

As for navigation, we will continue to ensure that what needs to be done is done for Canada's economy. The municipalities and provinces have all asked us to eliminate delays in awarding contracts and issuing mandates.

[Transport, November 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank the member for Essex for his hard work on this important file. If only the members opposite did the same and supported this vital project.

We are very pleased to see the support of the people of Michigan for the bridge between Detroit and Windsor, which is very important for the economies of our two countries.

This project is top priority for our government, and we will continue to work with our partners to make it happen as soon as possible.

[Air Transportation, November 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada is doing all it can so that we have the best air transportation system in the world.

We are working very hard on air safety and security and the accessibility of all services. Obviously, we do not manage the airlines.

My colleague would like the government to manage all the companies, bring in more workers and introduce a $21 billion carbon tax to provide the government with more money. That is not our approach. We are doing our job and we will respect all airlines that provide excellent service across Canada.

[Forestry Industry, November 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the questions are completely misleading.

No other government has ever invested as much to diversify the forestry economy and seek new markets and new products.

That being said, these are business decisions. Unfortunately, forestry companies are still going through tough times. We know that the pulp and paper market is not growing. It is not easy, and we sympathize with the workers. We know that it is always very tough on the families that are affected, but we will continue to support the industry as a whole, in the hope that it finds other markets.

[The Environment, November 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, municipal associations throughout the country—municipal associations in Quebec and in all the provinces and territories—were consulted before we went forward with this process. Representatives were consulted. We will not go into every place and every coffee shop to consult people, as the member is asking us to do. We consulted with all the representatives of municipal and other associations. They are the ones who have been asking us for years to get rid of all the red tape so that the economy can move forward.