Mr. Speaker, I assumed that when the Deputy Prime Minister referred to the Leader of the Opposition by name, it was an oversight.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 35% of the vote.
High-Speed Train January 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I assumed that when the Deputy Prime Minister referred to the Leader of the Opposition by name, it was an oversight.
High-Speed Train January 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, in 1991, the Ontario-Quebec rapid train task force agreed it would be appropriate to establish a rapid train service in the Quebec-Windsor corridor. The task force did a very thorough preliminary feasibility study, listing the many economic spin-offs connected with the project.
The present Prime Minister's chief of staff, former Quebec City mayor Jean Pelletier, was the co-signer of this report. The task force also held wide ranging public consultations, in the course of which intervenors stressed that cities in the corridor would have to become more efficient if they were to succeed in a competitive market.
My question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister. Could she tell me what she would prefer: spend taxpayers money to proceed with the abandonment of railway lines or spend it on an innovative project that would create jobs, jobs, jobs and increase our exports of technology to the United States?
Air Canada January 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, like many Quebecers and Canadians, I was very glad yesterday when the media announced the end of the conflict between Air Canada and Canadian International. This news shows light at the end of the tunnel, which is good for both air carriers and their employees.
I am also pleased with the statement by the Minister of Transport on allowing Air Canada access to the Osaka airport. However, since this airport is not a hub for the Japanese market, the Official Opposition would have liked the government to end the exclusive rights which Canadian Airlines International has to the Tokyo airport.
It is essential to promote competition, for the good of consumers, especially in a growing market like Tokyo.
We hope that the government will recognize Air Canada's needs and that these will be taken into consideration in bilateral discussions which the government intends to begin to settle the question of Hong Kong and China in the near future, for the sake of many jobs in Quebec and Canada.
Mil Davie Shipyard January 26th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. Last week, my colleague, the hon. member for Lévis, alerted this House to the catastrophic impact that the closing of
the MIL Davie shipyard would have for the whole region of Quebec City. Some 10,000 direct and indirect jobs are at stake.
The business plan calls for a reconversion from military contracts to civilian contracts provides, among other things, the awarding of the contract to build the ferry for the Magdalen Islands.
This plan received the support of all the business stakeholders in the Quebec City region, as well as of all the Liberal candidates of Quebec City during the last election campaign, including that of Mr. Jean Pelletier, the defeated candidate in the riding of Québec and the current chief of staff of the Prime Minister.
Therefore, I would like to know when and how the Minister of Transport will fulfil the promises made by the Liberal Party, which claims to support the business plan developed by MIL Davie.
Île D'Orléans Potatoes January 20th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, potato producers in the magnificent riding of Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans have suffered enormous losses in 1991 due to a virus. These losses amounted to about $546,000 for potatoes stored on the farm and close to $468,000 for potatoes stored at the wholesale level, which means more than a million dollars altogether.
Producers from Île d'Orléans have forwarded to the former Minister of Agriculture a complete file on the causes of these losses, on the amounts of money involved and on the compensation requested. The present Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has received a copy of this file.
In the past, compensation was paid to Maritime producers who suffered similar losses. The uneven way Maritime producers and Quebec producers are treated is unacceptable. We demand that this issue be given the attention it requires and that potato producers in the Île d'Orléans be properly and promptly compensated.
Speech From The Throne January 20th, 1994
Madam Speaker, as this is the first time I rise in this House, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans for electing me on October 25, last year, to represent them in this place.
My question or comment for my hon. colleague from Vancouver Quadra is this: I want to tell him that I really appreciated his speech and that I would have liked him to stress the importance of rail transportation for regional development. My hon. colleague from Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup, who is very devoted to regionalism, strongly emphasized the fact that the regions were getting poorer and poorer and I believe that his province and region are among those which owe their development to a railway stretching A mari usque ad mare, d'un océan à l'autre , from coast to coast.
In their speeches, the Prime Minister and the hon. Minister for External Affairs have indicated how committed they are to this country. It reminded me of a slogan I heard as a fourteen year old during the Centennial campaign in 1967, which said: "Canada Stand Together, Understand Together". At any rate, I hope that the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra will ensure that rail transportation is maintained in the years to come.
I also support the comment the hon. member for Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup made about the need for a high-speed train for the Quebec-Windsor corridor.