Matthew Dubé

[Business of Supply, February 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, which covers several points.

I will try to address each of those points briefly. On the first point, we voted against it because, when you have an omnibus bill, it is hard to say that we support one aspect and not another, particularly when the government refuses to divide its omnibus bills into various parts. However, the Conservatives were able to use their majority to put those measures in place, but the mayors in our ridings tell us that this is not working and that something else is needed.

The member also said this was not all about dollars. We agree with him. That is why I pointed out that we were not just talking about amounts of money here, but also about stable, predictable, long-term funding. Elected municipal members often request this because it enables them to plan and make good use of the money the government gives them.

Lastly, the member mentioned navigable waters. I believe the debate on that matter was quite clear. He mentioned the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. However, it supports our motion because we are on the right track.

[Business of Supply, February 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased today to speak to the motion of my colleague from Trinity—Spadina concerning infrastructure and the forthcoming budget. Every member of the House will have something to say because it is one of the few issues that demonstrates local and regional impacts in the field.

I am going to use this opportunity to discuss the problems being experienced in my riding, which have led me to support this motion. I am, moreover, very pleased with our efforts as a political party to ensure predictable and long-term infrastructure funding that is viable and stable.

First of all, people often say that transport is a provincial jurisdiction or that the NDP has its priorities wrong. In fact, what we are asking for in the House today as duly elected representatives was suggested by people who really know what they are talking about because they are experts in the field. I am talking about our elected municipal officials, including mayors, chambers of commerce and the federations under which they operate. I am a member of two chambers of commerce in my area. I also meet regularly with 12 mayors from my riding.

I would like to share a few of their concerns. First of all, a loss in productivity can have a major impact on a region’s economic viability. One example that comes to mind is from the keynote address given by the Mayor of Chambly, Denis Lavoie, at a luncheon held at the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie du bassin de Chambly. He remarked that an effective public transit system is important because it encourages local businesses and producers to remain in the region because they can run successful operations. If people are unable to get around efficiently and quickly, they will want to move elsewhere. If they do, then companies and businesses will follow.

It is therefore not only in our interest as elected representatives to encourage people to move to our region, and to provide services for them, but also in the interest of the chamber of commerce, because they will increase their membership and build a strong local economy.

Loss of productivity and public transit are very important subjects. We have only to look at suburban municipalities in the greater Montreal area, in particular those in the CMM, which includes most of the municipalities in my riding as well. They are equally important in the GTA, the Greater Toronto Area, and also in suburban municipalities surrounding Vancouver, Winnipeg and all the major cities of Canada. I would rather not comment too much on these regions, and focus instead on my own region.

As it happens, my region is currently experiencing urban sprawl, a topic I raise frequently in the House. People are leaving the downtown core to live in suburbs, start a family and live in a neighbourhood that is perhaps more peaceful, with all due respect to my big-city colleagues. There are other factors to be considered as well, like population growth in the regions.

I am relatively young, but I can remember when some of the more rural municipalities in my riding were much less urban than they are now. They have become suburban municipalities. The change is remarkable. In Beloeil, for example, there is development along Highway 20. Many of our Quebec companies, like Rona, are locating stores there for the local residents.

I mentioned urban sprawl because the people who live there frequently work downtown. In my case, the people work in Montreal. People who commute have great expectations about the infrastructure they would like to have.

But the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities tends unfortunately to always want to shift responsibility back to the provinces and municipalities, thereby increasing pressure on provincial and municipal elected representatives who come to see us for help.

Ultimately, teamwork is required if we are to provide better results for the citizens we represent. To be sure, we need to respect areas of provincial jurisdiction. Public transit is one example. We are not about to tell the provinces what to do or how to do it. However, the federal government has an important responsibility with respect to funding programs. It must also establish certain standards for these areas of jurisdiction.

I would like now to return to the topic of urban sprawl. It is very important in terms of highways and public transit, and sprawl also affects bridges like the Champlain Bridge. We naturally heard a great deal of talk during the election and again today. It is an issue that is very problematic for us, the people of the south shore and Montérégie, including my constituents who live in Chambly, Richelieu, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Carignan and Marieville, and who travel along highway 30 or highway 10 to the Champlain Bridge. Keeping this bridge viable, particularly in view of the public transit strategy that will be adopted, is essential for people who need to commute.

It is essential for all the usual reasons, such as the fact that public transit is good for the environment and all that, but urban sprawl is moving people farther away from downtown cores. The people of Marieville, for example, need to travel along highway 10 and then cross the Champlain Bridge to work in Montreal. They have a 35 to 40 minute commute when there is no traffic, but this can of course be much longer if traffic is heavy. And the traffic is increasing steadily because of population growth. Building a new bridge would be a good way to address not only these problems, but also to come up with a plan that would be viable over the long term.

At the moment, the government is providing very few details or information about this matter, except for what the minister said in the House yesterday, "If there are no tolls, there will be no bridge". We are not given any more details other than the people of the south shore will have to pay tolls.

My colleague from Brossard—La Prairie recently made a request for a more detailed report about the financial planning and the projects that will be undertaken by the federal government, in collaboration with the provincial government, of course. We are still waiting for that information, which is very important to the people in our ridings.

Let us come back to another subject concerning our motion. It also talks about predictable, long-term funding. That is very important. It is something we often hear from the mayors of municipalities in my riding. The problem is not limited to infrastructure; it is the same everywhere. Our community organizations tell us the same thing. But that is unfortunately another subject. In any event, the problem of unpredictable, short-term funding makes it very difficult to make long-term commitments, and consequently to put plans in place that make sense in the long term.

I put myself in the shoes of a municipal representative. It is a bit difficult when residents come to see me to ask me to do something about our roads, our highways, our bridges, and so on. As a municipal representative, the very little information I have about funding and where it comes from makes the job rather difficult. That is a reminder of why these collaborative efforts are important.

I am being told that my speaking time is up. That is unfortunate, because I could talk about this longer and offer more examples of what we see in our ridings.

I will conclude by saying that we could talk more about the Internet, for example, and the digital infrastructure that really has to be put in place. That is very important for us, on the outskirts of the city. Perhaps I will have an opportunity to say more about that when I answer questions and comments.

It will certainly be clear from what I have said that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of problems in our ridings to do with these issues. That is why I am very pleased to see the work done by my colleagues from Trinity—Spadina and Trois-Rivières. I am very pleased to support this motion, and hope to see a New Democrat government take office in 2015.

[Public Works and Government Services, February 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, on June 15, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the City of Halifax in its dispute with the Government of Canada concerning the federal government's chronic undervaluation of historic sites. This ruling will have significant implications for municipal finances.

For example, Public Works and Government Services Canada valued Fort Chambly at five time less than the municipality did. That is a loss of $500,000 in property tax revenues for the City of Chambly.

When will the Conservatives comply with this ruling and give municipalities their fair share?

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, February 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her speech.

She mentioned that it is sometimes difficult to provide adequate service to small communities. She mentioned Saint-Basile. People often confuse the names because there is municipality called Saint-Basile-le-Grand in my riding. It is important to note the name of the municipality. Otherwise one would be talking about her region, the Quebec City region.

A similar situation exists in ridings like mine and hers, where we are close to a large city, but not really part of it. We try to co-operate with CN and act as an intermediary to help these businesses. In my experience, as I said in my speech on this bill, it can be difficult to work with CN or CP. These companies are sometimes indifferent, since they have their monopoly, and they can be a bit stubborn. We are quite willing to work with them to improve the lives of the people affected by rail services.

I wonder if she could tell us a bit about her own experience and if she has found the same thing. Or perhaps she could use this opportunity to remind the House why it is important to encourage CN to have agreements like the ones proposed in this bill.

[Business of Supply, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. He is another MP from a Quebec region that will be hit hard by these changes who is speaking up for his constituents. It is wonderful to see that.

During question period, the government told us a little about what it believes is the solution. The Minister of Finance boasted that more Walmart stores will open their doors in Canada. I guess the Conservatives want people to work there.

We would like our constituents to continue to have jobs that are not only good for them, but also good for our local economies.

I would like my colleague to talk about the fact that the minister seems to be completely ignoring what is happening on the ground. The government keeps saying that we are trying to scare people. In fact, somewhat the opposite holds true. We are bringing these demands to the House because they are the demands of the people we represent.

Protests are being held in Quebec, New Brunswick and elsewhere. We participate in these protests, but they are initiated by the people. We are simply speaking on their behalf in the House of Commons.

I would like my colleague to talk about the fact that the minister did not consult these people.

When members of the government rise, they do not really understand why these people are opposed to these changes.

I would also like him to speak more about the minister's lack of consultation and her ignorance of the reality, especially in Quebec.

[Business of Supply, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, first I would like to congratulate my colleague and the members from neighbouring regions for the excellent work they have done to help people mobilize and to defend their interests, both on the ground and in the House.

At the end of his speech, he talked about who takes part in demonstrations. It is an interesting point that he should expand on. In fact yesterday, during question period, I heard a Conservative minister ask who the member for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine was talking about when he referred to the demonstrations. It is as if the Conservatives had not realized just how mobilized and angry people were.

When he said that the minister in question had no idea what was going on, it is that kind of comment that makes us realize just how much the government does not realize what is happening here, particularly in Quebec, but elsewhere as well, such as in New Brunswick, for example.

So I would like to let him talk more about these people, who are afraid but also mobilized. He could also talk about the fact that they are not frauds, as is being implied. These are actual communities, people from all walks of life.

I would appreciate it if he could expand on that.

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, February 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. This is certainly something positive. However, there are obviously consequences associated with passing a bill like this one. It is somewhat pointless to have agreements between the stakeholders—the producers, the shippers and the railway companies, like CN, in this case—if they do not have the tools to enforce those agreements.

That said, this is to some extent the approach my colleagues will take when they examine the bill in committee and also look at the question of arbitration. We do want shippers to have the tools they need in order to take full advantage of this legislation. It is quite important that CN and CP be called on to make better agreements with shippers. But that may still pose a problem if the legislation and the legal situation tilt too heavily in favour of the railway companies.

My colleague and I have raised two very important points relating to arbitration, to ensure that we enact legislation that has teeth. Once the bill is passed, we are really going to have to make sure that the agreements made are complied with.

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, February 4th, 2013]

With “on the right track”, I will assume no pun was intended there

I agree with some of the points made by my colleague. I thank him for the question. This is a network and that is why we would like to see, as we are in fact proposing, a Canada-wide strategy that would enable us to make the appropriate investments at all levels, because what he said is entirely true.

The reason why the railway has a positive impact for farmers in my riding is precisely because the service goes to Windsor and farther beyond. That is a fact.

In terms of the fact that CN and CP are private enterprises, that is a difficult question. We agree on that, but when we consider the fact that the infrastructure was built by people from our region and elsewhere and that a lot of money has been invested in it, and also the government’s responsibility to ensure that we have a proper rail network, there is good reason for more dialogue between the government and CN and CP.

With this bill, certain obligations will be instituted, but this is the kind of dialogue that will happen more often. I realize that it is never easy to deal with that reality.

Lastly, with respect to Bill S-4 on railway safety, there were many points on which the parties agreed. I venture to hope this is an indication that we will be able to get along better, because it can only be a positive thing for my region if we continue to do that. I venture to hope.

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, February 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.

Because I come from the region where the railway plays such an important role, I feel bound to say that, for this day and age, the money invested and spending priorities are inadequate. What we are pleased about in this bill is that when we take a step in the right direction, it allows us to believe, to hope—we are optimists—that it will be the foundation of some good work on this issue, something that has unfortunately not been seen yet.

In my colleague’s riding of Saint-Lambert, which is just about next to mine, there have been cuts at the VIA Rail station which have had a negative impact on the services provided. Even if this is not exactly what we are discussing today, we have to consider the issue of infrastructure as a whole, as my colleague mentioned. These cuts cannot very well be something that is positive.

At the moment, there is a lack of determination and a lack of participation by those working in the field. I would hope that this bill is a sign that more attention, positive attention, will be paid to this issue, primarily for the people from Vallée-du-Richelieu and the people in my riding. If this were the case, I would be very happy to continue the discussion in a positive way.

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, February 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to speak to Bill C-52 today. The railway, or shipping by rail, is very important in my riding. As I often say in my speeches in this House, the river divides my riding in two, but the railway also does the same thing. This is not just a legacy; it is also a very important economic asset for us.

To begin, I would like to say a little about my experience since 2011 when I was elected, and even before that time, from what I hear from my constituents and other elected representatives in the region, in particular the mayors, concerning relations with CN and CP. This is very important in connection with the subject we are addressing today.

We need to look at the role these companies are called on to play in our communities and see what a key role the railway has played in the history of Quebec and of Canada. In any history course, even at the university level, we still talk about the railway as a core element of our country's collective history. When we look at it that way, there is a duty to work with the various stakeholders. Today, we are talking about the stakeholders that ship various products, in the farming sector in particular.

In my riding, I am in an odd situation when it comes to this subject. On the south shore, Montérégie is located right in the middle between Montreal and the more urban part of the south shore, but also in a somewhat more agricultural and rural area. Let us not forget that there are also farmers in my riding. I can think of neighbouring ridings, like Shefford or Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, where there are people in the farming community who use the railway. We can really see how much the railway connects those regions to Montreal, and beyond there to other destinations, including Quebec City, Ottawa, or the other end of the country.

When we consider these facts, we feel we must take action to support our farmers, but we also want to protect the communities living alongside the railways. We therefore need CN to work with us. That is why this bill is important. We are talking about agreements with shippers, but this is also an indication of the need to go beyond that and call on CN to co-operate more on other issues. Those issues all involve the same objective: improving and making better use of the infrastructure we have had for over 100 years now.

Getting back to my previous point, when I was talking about the work I had to do with CN, I have to say that it is not always an easy company to work with, quite frankly. I say that with all due respect because good things have been accomplished. I would not want anyone to think otherwise, and I am definitely ready to work with them. However, the fact that we needed a bill to make CN co-operate on one particular issue shows that the company could do with an attitude adjustment and a little more flexibility given that it has a monopoly or a virtual monopoly on rail services in my region and across Canada.

I have seen this problem on two particular files, including the rail electrification one. This AMT proposal would modernize and improve rail services. It would reduce costs for producers using the services and for public transit users. Yes, it would be expensive in the short term, but in the long term, it would provide economic, environmental and other benefits.

We have had to deal with a lot of problems on this file. CN categorically refused without offering any explanations or agreeing to talk about it. This is another very important aspect of the bill before us today even though it is about a different issue with CN.

As for the other file, I heard a comment on the other side of the House about increasing train traffic. That is interesting, because that is exactly the kind of thing we want to see. That obviously means that the economy is doing well, including the local economy.

However, this increase is combined with the phenomenon of urban sprawl, which we are seeing more and more in Montérégie, particularly on the south shore. People are leaving the Island of Montreal to move to the suburbs, including our region. They are building homes around train stations to be able to use public transportation. II am talking about commuter trains. So these homes are seeing an increase in vibrations.

My riding office in Saint-Basile-le-Grand is in an old train station. It is no longer in use, but, obviously, since it is an old train station, we are close to the tracks and we feel the vibrations. It is not a big deal to us. It does not happen too often when employees work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., for example. However, I think everyone can agree that it can be more difficult for someone who lives close by.

Speaking about the importance of the railway calls to mind some comments made by one of the mayors in my riding. Gilles Plante, the mayor of MacMasterville, told me as well as CN officials that while he did not want to hinder CN’s work or impede rail traffic, he did hope that a happy medium could be found.

Co-operation with CN on this front is necessary, but not always easy to get. We are still waiting for answers to requests made by citizens regarding rail traffic.

There is a reason why I bring this up and relate these stories of issues that I have been focusing on since being elected to represent my riding. As I have said before, the aim of the bill is to compel CN to negotiate agreements with shippers to prevent the company from unfairly benefiting from the monopoly it holds over our producers, in particular farmers.

If I might digress for a moment, I would especially like to congratulate the member for Trinity—Spadina for her work, for the bill she introduced, which made the minister realize that the time had come to act on this issue.

This bill is seen as a step in the right direction. However, hard work is needed to sustain this momentum. I am hearing from the farmers in my region and I know that some colleagues represent ridings where farming is even more prevalent. The message is always the same when the topic of public transportation or the railway system comes up. They acknowledge that this is a very important industry, one that needs to be modernized.

We lag far behind Europe in this area. Of course I am not saying that everything is wrong. I am sure that a government member is prepared to rise and say that everything is going well. I am not saying that things are going badly, but simply because things are not going badly does not mean that things cannot be greatly improved. This is true of the railway system. Things are going very well back home. People benefit from the service, but much more could be done. If improvements were made to the rail infrastructure, the costs in the short term would be great, but in the long term, as I said, users and shippers could enjoy lower prices.

As far as urban sprawl is concerned, as I said earlier, this is a positive phenomenon. It means that people are settling in our region, that the population is increasing, that more families are moving into the area and that our local economy is thriving. These are things that I am very proud of and very pleased to see. Mainly it drives many of the issues I champion in the House and in my work as a member of Parliament.

However, that makes life tough for farmers because municipal elected officials, regional conferences of elected officials, RCMs, members of the National Assembly and so on all wind up facing the same challenges: finding a way to promote urban sprawl and growth back home, but also ensuring that our farmers still have an environment conducive to their production.

There are a lot of local products in the Richelieu valley, where my constituency is located, and they are the pride of our region. Tourisme Montérégie has done a lot of work, and even in the surrounding areas, in Rougemont near Marieville in my riding or elsewhere, local products are of outstanding quality. People attending the Chambly Bières et Saveurs festival in the summer can enjoy beer—it is very good—as well as superior-quality food products. We want to continue producing those products. They are healthful and good for the economy, and they are also good for our heritage, even though that may seem like a cliché. That, in a way, is our physical and environmental heritage.

The work we are doing with CN is extremely important: we are looking for a way to juggle the reality of modernization with that of agricultural tradition, which is very important in my riding. That is why I am very pleased to support this bill at second reading. It is a step in the right direction, as a number of my colleagues and I have said.

However, I believe that the committee work will be very important, and the work to be done over the next few months and years even more so. As I emphasized earlier, we have to prod CN on other issues as well. We have to demand even more from those people and from all stakeholders involved in railway issues, who will show us the way because we find it hard to move CN on these issues.

I would like to go back to the vibrations issue. This is fundamentally important for this bill because, once again, we are talking about shippers. Freight trains are increasingly long and that is very good. However, we wonder, and we have also put the question to CN, how it is possible to reconcile these two realities. My office is located beside the railway, and I also live near it. Sometimes drivers want to cross the tracks, and it is nearly rush hour and along comes a train transporting freight from elsewhere in Canada. Then they realize that the train is nearly 200 cars long. Sometimes people wait a long time at the stoplight. We realize that some work still has to be done to reconcile this urbanization reality with the fact that these trains have to pass through.

I am not saying that this is not important. I am referring to the situation facing my colleague, the mayor of McMasterville. We want to keep this in our municipalities. We do not want to tear up the railway. It is part of our heritage and we know how much it benefits our communities. No one would ever say otherwise. However, I think we need to do some work on it. This bill urges CN to do something for farmers. We could also urge it to do more for Canadians in the regions.

The railway is such an important part of our heritage. I recall a Knights of Columbus dinner that was held in November. One of the members, Gilbert Desrosiers, who is very well known in my riding, received a painting done by a local artist whose name escapes me at the moment unfortunately. It was a picture of what we, back home, call the black bridge. There is a large CN logo on the bridge. It is hard to miss. Whether you are on the Richelieu highway, on the shore or in a boat on the Richelieu River, you can see this railway bridge. It is practically an institution in our riding. It is part of our heritage.

I say that half-jokingly, but I am also serious. It illustrates people's sense of belonging. We want to make this infrastructure work in our region because we know what a remarkable asset it is.

I know that I am revisiting issues that I have already raised. However, since I have the time, I will again address the issue of the electrification of the rail line. It is very important, and CN’s attitude to this issue poses a problem.

I often have conversations with my colleagues, who are ministers and members of the National Assembly. We all more or less have the same vision as far as objectives for public transportation are concerned. A common vision in the region is a good thing, and helps steer progress.

On the other hand, it is understandable that the AMT has projects and that CN is a source of friction. Indeed, they have differing interests and their situations are not the same. Yet, what has been most disturbing in this issue is the lack of dialogue. When this decision was made, the AMT did not seem to know why; CN simply said that it was too expensive, that that was that, and that it was no longer in the cards.

Had the original developers of the railway, both in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, said that building the railway was too expensive, little progress would have been made. That is precisely the kind of mentality that CN and CP need to do away with. We do not deal with CN and CP as much back home, but these companies still have a role to play, and some of my colleagues do deal with them. That kind of mentality cannot be allowed. We know that it is expensive. We know that it is an investment. I believe that, in the long term, it is going to help reduce costs and promote the kind of environment that is so important for our farmers.

For example, the closer one gets to the Cities of Richelieu and Chambly—which are in my riding and are adjacent to the municipality of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, in the riding of Saint-Jean—the more railways there are. However, they are mostly outdated and no longer in use. The municipality would really like to use this infrastructure and space. However, CP is dragging its feet, at least I believe that it is CP that is doing so.

All of this to say that when a municipality wants to use infrastructure and cannot do so, it is extremely problematic. When municipalities ask for answers, there needs to be an immediate dialogue. CN and CP have everything to gain by engaging in such a dialogue. It can only help them to do their job.

A CN representative, who I will not name out of respect, told me that if Canadians were to communicate directly with CN and tell them about their problems, CN would be in a better position to respond. However, that might not be so easy since these issues are localized. That is no secret. Residents in the region communicate with their elected representatives. Residents with those kinds of concerns call their mayor, municipal councillor or member of Parliament.

When citizens call elected officials and the elected officials contact CN, I think that this corporation should understand that it is time for action. The fact that it does not come directly from a citizen is no excuse not to act. We are very ready to act.

I appear to be very critical toward CN and CP, but it bears repeating. We understand they have had great success and that they are still successful. However, in certain respects, they must be more open and engage in more dialogue.

This is why I am pleased that this bill was introduced. The government has decided that these corporations must speak and work with people. There are certain standards to be met.

If this is representative of things to come in terms of the railway, in my riding in particular, then I will be quite pleased to continue supporting them and engaging in a dialogue with them.