Lawrence Cannon

[Transport Canada, March 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our hon. colleague for her question. I can tell the member that I am aware of this information and I can assure her that Transport Canada is complying with all requirements of the Office of the Auditor General.

[Infrastructure, March 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact there is nothing further from the truth. As I have indicated, we have put an unprecedented amount of money into infrastructure.

Not too long ago with the hon. Donna Cansfield, minister in the government of Ontario, we did have the opportunity of working together and launching the committee for a gateway in southern Ontario.

This government is committed to helping people in southern Ontario and certainly helping Canada to be commercially competitive in world markets.

[Saint-Hubert Airport, March 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I had a chance to answer the hon. member yesterday when I told her that we could study this project in light of future infrastructure programs. I asked her to be patient.

However, when my hon. colleague raises the issue of Mirabel, so far as I am concerned and on this side of the House, we feel that this was a promise made and a promise kept. We returned 11,000 acres to the Mirabel farmers. So we kept our promise.

[Transportation, March 28th, 2007]

I can see, Mr. Speaker, that my hon. colleague is going on here and making things up, because as a matter of fact had he looked at what has occurred over the last couple of months, he would see that we have appointed a board. We have appointed a board to make sure that we can look at rail safety in this country. We have done that. We have done that when for five years the Liberals did nothing, zilch, nada. We are getting the job done.

[Transportation, March 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague should not be getting his information from the Senate committee. Instead, he should be getting information from the source, such as the testimony given by people in my department and by the people who represent air safety administration authorities. These people are in a position to say what a big difference this government has made compared to the last one.

That is why I am not at all ashamed to say that we are doing what needs to be done for our public transportation network.

[Aerospace Industry, March 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am entirely open to looking at the framework of the new infrastructure programs. We are currently reworking the architecture of those programs so that they will in fact reflect the needs of our regions and communities, and so when we know what the new programs will be, we will be happy to inform our colleagues in the House.

[Infrastructure, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, this budget commits an unprecedented $33 billion to helping our cities and our communities across the country. Indeed, we are putting a lot of importance on our gateway projects, whether they be out in B.C., in the prairie provinces or in central Canada.

We are helping the Windsor-Detroit crossing to ensure that our goods and services flow so we can keep the economy flowing, and that is doing the job.

[Transportation, March 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to meet with executives from that company last week. We examined the various programs available from the Canadian government through the Department of Transport. In that regard, none of these programs meet their needs.

However, we are still examining the file, in cooperation with the company. My colleagues, the Minister of Industry and the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, are taking action.

[Infrastructure and Communities, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I met with the representatives of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities, as well as a large number of provinces and territories. All of them asked for long term predictable financing and funding. Clearly, the government acted. We responded. The Minister of Finance presented an unprecedented amount, not only in gas tax but in infrastructure, $33 billion. That goes to our Canadian communities for projects. We are getting it done. They did not do it.

[Infrastructure and Communities, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether the hon. member has had an opportunity to read the budget in detail. If she had looked into it a bit, she would have discovered, even without reading it in detail, that we have promised municipalities an unprecedented amount: $2 billion a year, which amounts to $8 billion. To this is added, of course, the money that will come from the transfers for infrastructure.

So what does she want? There is money there and the municipalities are quite happy.