Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank you for tonight's opportunity to revisit a question that I first raised on February 14. I will repeat that question.
People in my region know all too well that highway 185 is deadly. It is one of the deadliest highways in Quebec. Phase three of work, the section between Saint-Antonin and Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, needs to be completed. The solution is to finish the Trans-Canada. Of the $14 billion announced yesterday, $4 billion was for national infrastructure, but this money will be allocated on the basis of merit and not provincial fairness.
Can the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs tell us whether the completion of the Trans-Canada—to save lives—is a project that will warrant quick access to the money for national infrastructure? I asked that question in February so that, after more than a year of waiting, we could finally know the terms of this infrastructure project and how much funding the federal government would invest in infrastructure.
The answer I got, like the majority of the answers we get from our friends opposite, was extremely disappointing and generic. The number 185 was not even mentioned in the response. There was one small element, at the very end, that may be of interest.
We look forward to hearing from municipalities and provinces what their infrastructure priority projects will be....
Tonight, I will try to get the government to go one step further on this, as it is an urgent need in my region. As recently as January 21, a young man, age 22, died in an accident on highway 185. That is another addition to a list of tragedies that is already far too long. In 10 years, approximately 100 people have died on this highway.
For us, turning highway 185 into highway 85 is not just a question of investing in infrastructure, it is also a question of public safety.
That tragedy happened on the stretch between Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! and Saint-Antonin, a section that is still waiting to be expanded in what is called phase three of the project. It is now estimated that the work on the stretch of highway between Saint-Antonin and Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! will cost more than $550 million. The federal government has already invested $320 million in phases one and two.
As I said before, it took too long to learn about the terms of the new federal infrastructure plan, which meant that neither the federal nor the provincial government would take any responsibility. Their little game sickened the people of Kamouraska, Rivière-du-Loup, Témiscouata and Les Basques. My constituents want the federal and provincial governments to stop this silly jurisdictional ping-pong game. They just want a safer highway.
It should be noted that the highway 85 project is part of the work needed to complete the Trans-Canada Highway, as I explained earlier. Is there a more national infrastructure than the Trans-Canada Highway?
On behalf of too many families that are in mourning and in the name of common sense, can the government give us the assurance today that phase 3 of highway 85 will have quick access to the money for national infrastructure?
This evening, we have the opportunity to stop the game of ping-pong and to have the federal government take another step forward by confirming the project's access to funding. This will not solve everything because an agreement with the province is required. This side of the House is aware of that.
I will say it once more to my colleague: the federal-provincial game of ping-pong must stop. This evening, I am reaching out to my colleague. Simply saying that they will agree to provide access to the funds would be a suitable way to stop this game of ping-pong and would be very much appreciated by the people in my region. My constituents have had enough. Too many people have suffered. This must stop.
