Lawrence Cannon

[Canada Transportation Act, May 4th, 2006]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act and the Railway Safety Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Toronto Port Authority, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as the House knows, there is a long and complex history of activities surrounding the operation of the island airport. Questions have been raised about decisions made in the past so I have retained the services of an independent advisor to shed light on those decisions.

I am pleased to report today that I have appointed Mr. Roger Tassé as an external advisor to conduct a review of the decisions, actions and transactions of the Toronto Port Authority and have requested him to table a final report by September 1.

[Air Transportation, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, basically, the procedure is one of going and consulting those involved, finding out everyone’s best practices.

We know that there is one practice prevailing in the U.S. and another in Europe. In fact, we are going to submit a proposal so that we can get the best possible ideas in order to move ahead on this file.

[Transportation, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question has to do with transportation safety and security. Clearly, our first priority is the safety of the people who travel not only by rail, but also other means of transportation to get from one place to another in Canada. My hon. colleague's preamble lacked some detail. Yesterday, we announced that over the next seven years, we will specifically step up the application of reflective material—

[Canada Post Corporation, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I have to say of course that the minister responsible for the Quebec City region, despite what our friends opposite are saying, assumes her obligations and responsibilities and also cares deeply about the interests of the Quebec region.

[Canada Post Corporation, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is asking the question to discover what direction we are headed. It is already known and no secret to anyone in this House. Canada Post is affirming its independence from the government.

However, in the latest election campaign, we made a commitment on this side to review this decision. A decision in this respect will be imminent. I ask the hon. member to bide her time.

[Infrastructure, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I also had the opportunity to meet with the hon. member's representatives. During that meeting we agreed that the work should be done this year and that in meantime the link joining both shores of the St. Lawrence would unfortunately be compromised for this year.

We will continue to have discussions with our colleagues opposite on expediting matters on this issue for the well-being of all our fellow citizens.

[Infrastructure, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question.

I had the opportunity to meet with her a few weeks ago. We had a chance to discuss this issue.

We will have to wait and see what happens. It is clear that when the Liberals were in power they were unable to resolve the issue of full divestiture of the harbours.

[Transport, May 1st, 2006]

As we say in French, Mr. Speaker, la vérité a ses droits. There are some facts here that have been left undisclosed. The fact of the matter is that the hon. member had an opportunity to do something for the people in his area, and for 13 years he did nothing. We will handle the file. We are looking at the file and we will make a decision on this.

[Transport, May 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his tireless dedication to rail safety as of 2004, shortly after one of his constituents was killed when the car he was driving struck a train at an uncontrolled crossing. It is largely due to the work of my hon. colleague that, beginning today, all Canadian owned domestic and freight cars will begin to be equipped with reflective material. This will help improve safety across the country.