John Baird

[Infrastructure, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is because we do not want to cut back two-thirds of the projects that we would like to see go ahead in this country.

Let us look at what municipal leaders in the member's own province are saying. The mayor of Welland said, “This project will be a tremendous kickstart for our community”. The mayor of South Stormont, Bryan McGillis, said: “They've been waiting for this money for 30 years. I've almost got tears in my eyes I'm so happy”. And finally, South Bruce Peninsula Mayor Gwen Gilbert said, “This is huge news. It's very exciting. A sewage system for Sauble Beach has been on the radar screen for a lot of years”.

Step-by-step, we are getting the job done.

[Infrastructure, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, a very wise member of Parliament made the following statement on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday. She said, “There is always a delay in the actual approval and the cheques being cut”.

Mr. Speaker, do you know who said that? The member for Willowdale.

[Sports Infrastructure, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, in Quebec, I am going to work with the Minister of Public Works, the government of Jean Charest and all my colleagues from Quebec on this side of the House. Ideas from the other side are welcome.

I have heard it said that the Bloc is everywhere, that the Bloc members are all over Quebec, gathering ideas from their municipalities. All ideas are welcome, and we are going to work with the Government of Quebec.

[Sports Infrastructure, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, some of my colleagues are in Montreal this morning, with the Premier of Quebec, to make another announcement about support for a project in Quebec. We are going to work with the provinces.

I told the committee yesterday that every member of this House is welcome to submit ideas. I have already received some ideas from Bloc Québécois members, the Liberal Party and the NDP, and I have received many good ideas from this side as well.

[Sports Infrastructure, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, in Quebec, we will work very closely with the Government of Quebec and the premier. We will also work with Quebec municipalities.

By working together, we can undertake three times the number of projects, create three times the number of jobs and carry out three times the amount of work. We can also make three times as many investments and create three times more economic growth. That is our goal. Almost every project must have the support of the provincial or municipal government. Therefore, we will work with them.

Does the Bloc member believe that Mr. Charest will help the Conservative Party in the next election campaign?

[Sports Infrastructure, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is unconscionable for that member to make that allegation. I am surprised that such a senior member would do such a thing.

I regularly get advice from my cabinet colleagues. I regularly get advice from my colleagues in the opposition. I saw with great interest the member from Markham was actually making a Government of Canada announcement in his constituency, which was very exciting. We work very co-operatively with all members of the House. I have even received some good advice from the members of the party that the member opposite represents.

[Government Expenditures, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, step by step, we are committing funds, those $4 billion, to specific projects right across the country. The Premier of Quebec and my federal counterparts, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Minister for Economic Development for the Regions of Quebec, are in Montreal today making another announcement.

Would the member opposite like us to take that money back and send it to municipalities instead?

We are working co-operatively with provinces, with municipalities, getting dozens of projects approved that will lead to cleaner water, less congestion, and support for our environment.

[Government Expenditures, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, there is always a delay in the actual approval and the cheques being cut. It was not someone in the government but the member for Willowdale who said that yesterday.

We want to work constructively with provinces and municipalities, because instead of having $3 billion being spent on infrastructure and job creation, if we work with our provincial and municipal partners we can have $9 billion. That is three times more jobs, three times more hope, and three times more opportunity for Canadians who are in desperate need of an economic shot in the arm.

[Government Expenditures, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we have made numerous announcements over the past few weeks, not just in Saskatchewan where dozens of projects have received the federal green light, but the Prime Minister last week was in British Columbia where he announced a significant amount of support for the Evergreen public transit project.

We have announced more than 280 projects to support job creation in the province of Ontario. Step by step, we are getting the job done.

[Infrastructure, March 3rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we will be working constructively with the provinces.

What the member opposite would like us to do is simply shove aside the Premier of Ontario and go directly to municipalities.

The member ran against Dalton McGuinty. He has never been supportive of him. We are committed to working with him. We are committed to a partnership and to getting the job done.