Senator Gold: Yes.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.

I will simply say that my office has made inquiries on this subject and in this direction, and I am awaiting further response. I will advise you and the chamber as soon as I get the response. My office has been dealing with this proactively. I don’t have the answer for you quite yet.

Hon. Leo Housakos: Senator Gold, I listened to your remarks. I don’t want to get involved in debate on this, but, number one, the declaratory powers have been used many times before in very similar instances, so it is constitutional. At our committee, we heard from a number of constitutional experts, and all of them said it’s constitutional.

I have seen this game plan before from governments. I saw it from the previous government when they were trying to renege on fundamental responsibilities in terms of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge, because it was politically expedient, for a variety of reasons, not to invest in it and to try to push that off to the Quebec government.

The first question: Won’t you agree that the declaratory power has been used many times?

Second, the Province of Quebec didn’t have the wherewithal to rebuild the Samuel De Champlain Bridge, and it would be nearly impossible for any province. It required billions of dollars. Just like right now in Atlantic Canada, with regard to critical infrastructure like the Chignecto Isthmus — and we have heard from many witnesses that it touches a number of provinces, the whole region of Atlantic Canada — they don’t have the wherewithal to go forward with a project like this. Why doesn’t the government recognize that if we, as a federal government, don’t step up on infrastructure building, what do we need the federal government for in this country?

Hon. Pierrette Ringuette: Senator Gold, will you take another question?