Lawrence Cannon

[Transport, January 29th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question. As a matter of fact, we have taken action. In June, I met with municipal officials from Cap-aux-Meules, and we agreed to implement a work plan. The member knows that.

Reports were completed in September, and the final report was submitted in December. In my correspondence with the mayor, Mr. Arseneau, I indicated that the government intends to go forward with this issue and to be in a position to offer a service beginning next year as a pilot project.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the ecoauto rebate program encourages Canadians to buy or lease fuel efficient vehicles. The program is delivered in partnership, with Transport Canada as the program lead, and Service Canada, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, as the delivery arm of the program, handling public calls and processing applications.

In response to (a), as of January 16, 2008, 42,270 applications had been received. Canadians who have bought, or leased, for 12 months or more, an eligible vehicle as of March 20, 2007, may apply for a rebate through the ecoauto rebate program.

In response to (b), as of January 16, 2008, 13,190 applications hae been approved and over $15.6 million in rebates had been issued.

In response to (c), as of January 16, 2008, 684 applications had been deemed ineligible.

In response to (d), the program was announced in March 2007 and the government’s commitment to start issuing rebate cheques in fall 2007 has been met. The application form has been available since October 1, 2007.

Since the launch of the program, a large volume of applications have been received. All efforts are being made to process the applications as quickly as possible and measures have been implemented to minimize the requirement for follow-up with applicants about missing or incomplete information.

Measures have also been put in place to ensure due diligence to adequately input, track, review and validate the applications prior to approval.

Information regarding the status of applications can be obtained by calling 1-866-506-6804.

In response to (e), applications have been received for models of cars on the list of eligible vehicles as well as others that were not eligible.

In response to (f), the list of vehicles that are eligible under ecoauto can be found at www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ecoAUTO and only those vehicles would be approved for a rebate.

In response to (g), all Canadian provinces and territories have applications submitted to the ecoauto rebate program.

In response to (h), the ecoauto rebate program is providing a cash incentive to Canadians to help the environment by buying or leasing more fuel efficient vehicles. The rebate is based on fuel consumption ratings.

There are different rebate criteria for passenger cars and light trucks since consumers have different needs and shop for different categories of vehicles. The intention of this measure is to encourage consumers to purchase the most fuel-efficient vehicles while still fulfilling their individual needs.

Current vehicle models qualifying for the rebate include some hybrid electric vehicles and highly energy efficient vehicles. The list of eligible vehicles includes: new passenger cars with a combined city/highway fuel consumption of 6.5 litres per 100 kilometres or less; new minivans, sport utility vehicles and other light trucks with a combined city/highway fuel consumption of 8.3 litres per 100 kilometres or less; and new flex-fuel vehicles, i.e., vehicles equipped by manufacturers to operate on gasoline or a blend of 85% ethanol/15% gasoline, with a combined city/highway E85 fuel consumption rating of 13.0 litres per 100 kilometres or less.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the federal government proposes to fund up to one-third of the eligible costs associated with the Toronto-York subway extension project, up to a maximum funding level of $697 million.

In response to (b), $75 million from the public transit capital trust has been disbursed to the province and is immediately available for use. The remaining amount will be funded through the building Canada fund. This program works on an invoice basis; as costs are incurred, the proponent will be reimbursed on eligible costs pursuant to the terms of the contribution agreement. Accordingly, this funding will flow to the recipient once eligible expenses have been incurred and have been submitted to the federal government.

In response to (c), Infrastructure Canada officials are working diligently with officials from the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission in order to ensure that due diligence is completed, and the necessary agreements are signed as quickly as possible. At this time, federal officials are waiting on several pieces of information from the city that are material to conclude due diligence. Once due diligence is completed, formal approval by Treasury Board of the project can follow, as can the signature of a contribution agreement on the project.

In response to (d), on November 7, 2007, a draft screening report, submitted by the proponent, was received by members of the federal environmental assessment, EA, review team. Once the draft document has been reviewed and comments from federal reviewers are adequately addressed, the EA documentation will be finalized and federal EA decision(s) will be made. Assuming that no substantial issues arise during the review period and current timelines are met, federal officials anticipate that EA decision(s) will be made prior to the end of this fiscal year.

In response to (e), please refer to the response to (c).

[Manufacturing and Forestry Industries, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to answer my colleague's question. We are talking about a very significant amount of money. First and foremost, this requires approval from the provinces, or an agreement with them.

We already know that New Brunswick has signed this agreement with the federal government. I would like the hon. member to know that we are flexible on how to proceed. In this case, I think we would be able to proceed with the communities that are in great need.

[Manufacturing Industry, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that my hon. colleague may have asked a question because the Writer's Guild is presently in a lock-out.

Having said that, my hon. colleague, the Minister of Industry, has demonstrated that we have some flexibility with regard to this matter. I would point out again that it is important to help communities. That is in addition to the work that this government has already undertaken.

[Transport, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat surprised at the NDP's question.

Nevertheless, I must admit that the department has already conducted a feasibility study. This study was conclusive.

I have contacted Mayor Arsenau and I told him that it was too late to do anything this year, but next year we could certainly work on acquiring the necessary funding to ensure year-round service. I told him this would allow for continuing development of the business plan.

[Manufacturing and Forestry Industries, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague, who has also sat in the Quebec National Assembly, must surely know that there is a process to follow for appropriating new amounts of money. This process is called a “budget”. That is when we will allocate the $1 billion to the communities that are in desperate need.

[Manufacturing and Forestry Sectors, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I know that my hon. colleague, the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, is capable of speaking for himself, but I would like the members from the Bloc Québécois to recognize what this government and this minister have done over the past 18 months to support the economy in Quebec and to create jobs.

One thing is sure: no jobs have been created and no projects have been approved by the Bloc Québécois.

[Manufacturing and Forestry Sectors, January 28th, 2008]

These are more erroneous statements, Mr. Speaker. It is important to recall that the government acted with the communities in mind. The fact is that, when we sit down with municipal leaders, they tell us that it is time that we walk the talk. For example, the mayor of Shawinigan spoke out to call on the members from the Bloc Québécois to effectively support this measure.

I have met with a number of mayors, and all demanded action. More importantly, they demanded that the Bloc Québécois support the government.

[Manufacturing and Forestry Sectors, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, since coming to power, the government has taken action through programs to help older workers, programs that enable people to retire early.

Some of the measures announced by my colleagues target the forestry and manufacturing sectors. The amount we announced is in addition to that. And that is not all we are doing. The Bloc Québécois refused to support us in allocating $12 billion to Quebeckers over the next five years.