Hon. Donna Dasko: Thank you, minister, for being here. I’m going to give you one more chance to talk about that great rail line that’s going in between Toronto and Quebec City. You have expressions of interest. Can you tell me which firms or partnerships have expressed interest in the project?

Also, just a couple of quick questions to clarify. First, is this double track all the way between Toronto and Quebec City? Second, how are level crossings dealt with in the proposal?

The Hon. the Speaker: So ordered. The sitting is suspended to a 10-minute bell.

(The sitting of the Senate was suspended.)

[Translation]

(The sitting of the Senate was resumed.)

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Thank you for that question and for giving me an opportunity to talk about this exciting investment that our government is making.

For decades, previous governments have talked about the importance of this corridor. It is our government that is proceeding with this project. This will be the largest infrastructure project in Canada’s history.

We have been making progress. In fact, today Transport Canada should be releasing a report of our consultation with the private sector about the next steps for proceeding with this project. In the last few years alone, our government has invested over $2 billion in VIA Rail Canada.

As for your question about the CEO, I wish Ms. Garneau the best. However, you’re asking me about a human resources matter that, I’m sure you understand, I’m unable to speak about on the floor of the Senate or anywhere else publicly for that matter.

Hon. Paula Simons: I know that my colleagues who live in the Montreal-Toronto corridor are very keen to have a high-frequency train, and I know how they feel. I have a dream of a train that connects Edmonton and Calgary. I don’t need it to be high speed, I don’t even need it to be high frequency, I just need it to be there. I’m wondering, as your department is looking at other rail priorities, what you have to say that might fill me with hope and joy about the prospect of a study into an Edmonton-Calgary rail link or, indeed, a Calgary-Banff rail link.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Welcome to the Senate, minister. This anticipated Quebec City-Toronto high-frequency rail project has been in the news. You announced it on the train that I take regularly, so I’m pleased to see that this project is finally being started. I hope that it will be completed before I retire so I have the opportunity to take it.

In any event, minister, have you planned for the participation of provincial and municipal authorities in this massive project? All the route changes required for a rail system that is more frequent, efficient and attractive than travel by automobile or plane must be coordinated.

[English]

Indeed, this is going to be a massive and complicated project that will need to involve provincial governments, municipal governments and Indigenous communities. For example, we’ll have to negotiate with municipalities about access to their downtown cores for the trains to stop there.

So there is still a lot of work that needs to happen. It is going to be complicated, as large projects of this scope tend to be. However, it is exciting to be involved in this work, because for decades, Canadians have heard governments talk about it; now, they’re seeing work being done.

Unfortunately, it takes time, because of everything involved in such a project. There is no magic button to push where we’ll find that such a project has materialized in front of us tomorrow. Like you, I hope I can use it before I retire, but we’re going to follow the process and we’re going to make sure that it is built, senator.

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Senator, thank you for the question. As far as I know, more than 50 companies participated in the expression of interest. I stand corrected if that number is not accurate. I don’t have the names of these companies off the top of my head, but as I said earlier, Transport Canada was expected to release a summary of the input received through the expression of interest process. We’d be happy to share that with you, senator.

You’re also asking specific questions about the design and how it’s going to be built, questions that I think are still up for debate. I think it’s too early to answer many of these questions because there are still some final touches that need to be made. Some of them will be informed by the private partners and the discussions we’re going to have with local communities.

I don’t know yet, but I want to stress that safety, including rail crossing safety, and infrastructure investment will be critical elements of that project. We’ll be sensitive to the concerns and needs of local communities.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired. I’m sure senators will want to join me in thanking Mr. Alghabra for joining us today. We look forward to seeing you again.

The Hon. the Speaker: Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, Question Period will begin at 4 p.m.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Minister, the Canadian Transportation Agency — the CTA — which is responsible for enforcing the compensation rules when travel plans have been derailed due to flight delays or cancellations, received over 7,000 complaints in May. In August, the CTA said the backlog of complaints had risen to 18,200 following a spike in grievances filed in recent months.

Minister, before you start blaming everyone else and other governments for this backlog, can you please provide us answers to the following questions: How many complaints have the CTA received to date this year for air travel alone? What measure have you taken to address the backlog? And when do you forecast the CTA to have caught up on the backlog of complaints?

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Senator, thank you for that question and thank you for talking about the importance of the National Trade Corridors Fund that is supporting critical infrastructure, including in the North.

By the way, within the National Trade Corridors Fund, we have set aside an allocation for the North to precisely invest in projects like the one you’re describing.

I am aware that several projects that have been approved by the Trade Corridors Fund have seen a rise in cost, and we’ve been asking proponents to come back with another proposal or another submission that explains the situation. These proposals are examined by Transport Canada, and then a decision is made based on the situation.

[Translation]

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Senator, the work that our farmers and agricultural producers do is incredibly important. You are right — this year they are having a terrific year, and we need to ensure, as a government and as a country, that the transport sector is ready to provide services that are necessary, not only for them, but for Canadians and the entire world who are depending on this product.

I have written and been engaged with CN and CP to ensure that they have plans to be able to service farmers and agricultural producers.

We have recently announced several measures, including $130 million to digitize the transportation and supply chain sector to ensure greater fluidity and ensure that CN and CP have the plans that they need. We are engaged on this, senator. It’s important to us, and I know it’s important for Canadians.

[Translation]

Hon. Marty Klyne: Minister, since 2012, we have seen consistent declines in Canada’s world infrastructure rankings from tenth to thirty-second. The good news, as I understand it, is that Infrastructure Canada is already working on a major national infrastructure assessment and assessing infrastructure priorities.

Something that remains a concern, however, is that our trade competitors are already making investments improving their logistics infrastructure. As a result, our Canadian exporters are increasingly feeling the challenge to retain customers. As we know, transportation infrastructure enables trade, which accounts for 65% of Canada’s GDP annually and, therefore, is worthy of our attention. The good news on that front, as you’ve identified, is that a National Supply Chain Task Force report was recently released which recommends steps to improve the competitiveness of Canada’s trade corridors.

Minister, is there a plan to coordinate these two major federal infrastructure initiatives and formally engage the provinces, territories and industry to participate in a national effort to improve our trade corridors?

Hon. Renée Dupuis: Minister of Transport, welcome to the Senate. On April 30, 2021, you and the Minister of Labour appeared before the Senate in Committee of the Whole when we were examining a special bill to provide for the resumption and continuation of operations at the Port of Montreal. At that time, I asked you whether the port’s specific governance structure was part of the reason why the very long and difficult negotiations between the parties had stalled. You answered as follows:

 . . . we are currently in the process of reviewing the port structure. There is a proposal that we’re studying to modernize how ports are governed, and we’re certainly always looking for ways to enhance the governance structure.

On December 16, 2021, the Prime Minister gave you the following responsibility in your mandate letter:

Complete the Ports Modernization Review with an aim to update governance structures that promote investment in Canadian ports.

Minister, I would like to know how far you’ve gotten with the review of the Canadian ports governance structure, especially for the Port of Montreal. You received a proposal to modernize the governance structure. Did you approve it? Where are you on this file?

[English]

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Thank you, senator. Let me start by saying that our government is always reluctant to interfere in a collective bargaining process. We support the legitimacy and importance of this process. At that time, we — reluctantly — felt it was necessary to intervene.

To answer your question directly, the legislation is in its final stages. I am hoping that it will be tabled before the end of the year. I am looking forward to debating about it in the House of Commons. After that, obviously, I’m looking forward to receiving input and suggestions from you. It doesn’t even need to be after that. It could be during the process while it is in the House of Commons. I look forward to your input and feedback on the proposal that we will be tabling before the end of the year.

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Thank you, senator, for that question. Marine Atlantic is an incredibly important service to our fellow neighbours in the Atlantic provinces. Our government continues to support this service, particularly during difficult times — during COVID. As for your question, I need to get back to you about whether that was a particular decision made by Marine Atlantic. It is, after all, an independent body that makes its own decisions based on its operational considerations. I’ll need to get back to you on that question.

[Translation]

Hon. Omar Alghabra, P.C., M.P., Minister of Transport: Thank you, senator, for that question. The situation at our airports during the summer was unacceptable. The hours of delay, flight cancellations, shortage of labour and stories of people sleeping at airports were unacceptable.

Canadians saw that, because of the pandemic, there were significant layoffs in the aviation sector — not only in Canada but around the world. With the surge back in demand, labour shortages caused a significant impact on that operation. However, we didn’t hesitate, as a government, to step in and take action. We quickly worked with airports and airlines to identify some bottlenecks that we could immediately address. We have carried out several measures, including expediting the hiring of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority employees; working with NAV CANADA, the air traffic controllers, on identifying efficiencies; automatically renewing expired security access cards to airport workers; and working on other bottlenecks.

Today I’m happy to say that the performance is much better. It does compare to pre-pandemic levels, but we should never let these lessons learned go by without taking action. Soon I will be inviting stakeholders from airports to airlines to a summit where we will discuss lessons learned from this episode and find out what else we can do as an industry and as government to address these things so that we are much better prepared, much more efficient and much more competitive for Canadian travellers.

Hon. Amina Gerba: Honourable senators, I rise today to underscore the tremendous importance of this week’s visit to Canada by Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Equally important are his meeting with the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, and the high-level dialogue to take place between our illustrious guest and Ministers Joly, Ng and Sajjan.

I want to celebrate this historic visit by a chairperson of the African Union Commission. Such a visit has never taken place in our country.

With its 55 member countries, the African Union symbolizes the coordination of development efforts, the safeguarding of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the promotion of international cooperation and especially Africa’s economic integration. It is an essential partner and the chairperson’s visit to Canada is an opportunity for our country to make up for lost time in our relationship with this continent that is in the throes of progress.

Colleagues, the government must significantly boost its diplomatic presence on the continent, take advantage of the assets and the weight of the African diaspora, which the African Union Commission has identified as the continent’s sixth zone, implement measures to promote trade and investment in Africa and work on a future free-trade agreement between Canada and Africa that will give our businesses access to one of the world’s biggest markets, whose 1.3 billion consumers will become 2.5 billion in 2050.

Honourable senators, again, I’m delighted that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission is in Canada. I hope this will lead to some very positive outcomes for our country.

Thank you.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[English]

Hon. Denise Batters: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to the Canadian Forces 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, Canada’s beloved Snowbirds, as they celebrate their fiftieth anniversary.

The iconic Snowbirds are at the very heart of our proud Canadian military tradition. They hail from Canadian Forces Base, or CFB, 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan — a city very near and dear to my heart and home.

My late husband, former MP Dave Batters, was a huge fan of the Snowbirds. As Moose Jaw’s MP, Dave promoted and encouraged the Snowbirds through triumph and tragedy. In return, they viewed him as their guardian in Parliament. They presented him with a precious Snowbirds coin in recognition of that.

I was honoured to attend the Snowbirds’ fiftieth-anniversary celebrations last weekend in Moose Jaw. I took that Snowbirds coin with me to the anniversary dinner, and I have brought it with me here today.

The weekend started with a Snowbirds flyover of Moose Jaw by the current team, which thrilled the hometown crowd below. Members of former Snowbirds teams from the last 50 years gathered for a reunion one night and a golden anniversary dinner the next. I saw many old friends from former Snowbirds teams and 15 Wing Moose Jaw, and I met many impressive men and women who have served our country with distinction.

I was excited to meet the very first female Snowbirds pilot, Maryse Carmichael, who later became commanding officer of the Snowbirds. What an inspiration she has been to women in the military.

I also met the current Commanding Officer of the Snowbirds, Denis Bandet, who is originally from Regina. He joked that he joined the military to see the world and ended up spending most of his military career just down the highway in Moose Jaw.

The squadron is a magnificent recruitment tool for the Canadian military. Many former Snowbirds recount how, as kids, they were inspired to become pilots after seeing this incredible team perform, or getting a Snowbirds pilot’s autograph after an air show.

The Snowbirds are inspiring because they are a little bit of magic. They make the impossible possible.

Honourable senators, I hope you have all had the chance to experience the awe of the coloured smoke and roaring engines as the Snowbirds fly in formation over Parliament Hill on Canada Day, or at your local air show. It’s a mighty rumble that makes your heart and imagination soar.

Early in the pandemic, the Snowbirds flew across Canada in Operation INSPIRATION — a tour to raise Canadians’ spirits during a time of uncertainty and isolation. When they flew over my home in Regina, I was on my back deck. I threw up my arms, and I yelled, “Yay, Snowbirds!” It is impossible not to respond with childlike delight where the Snowbirds are involved.

For 50 years, the Snowbirds have amazed and inspired us — a potent Canadian symbol of hope and freedom. But despite the excellent skill of their aviation and avionics technicians, the Tutor jets need to be replaced soon. The federal government needs a plan, now, to secure and procure new planes for this Canadian gem. Let us help the Snowbirds soar high for the next 50 years. Thank you.

[Translation]