Discussion · Government Orders
Martin Champoux Bloc Québécois
“Big projects built this country, but they also harmed people. Building the railway hurt workers, and building the Mirabel airport took land away from families. The government is repeating these mistakes with the new high-speed rail project by mistreating local farmers.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Orléans, whom I hold in high regard. She and I have had the opportunity to work together on various files, including the French language file, and I appreciate her co-operation. She talked about major projects that built the country, particularly the railway. She mentioned various major projects and spoke about the vision that we must have when we want to build a great country. I completely agree with her. However, I would like to add a bit of history. Going back to the construction of the trans-Canada railway, it is important to remember that the workers were forced to endure absolutely appalling conditions. That would never fly today. It is also important to remember the development of airports like the one in Mirabel, which is making the news again because of the high-speed rail project. I will tie that in as well, because the community of Mirabel is still deeply scarred and extremely traumatized by the brutal expropriations in 1969-70. Now, the government is about to do the same thing with a high-speed rail project. We learned from news reports that Alto has signed confidentiality agreements that prevent farmers from hiring appraisal companies because they are now all tied to that project. Is that what my colleague thinks it means to go—”
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Orléans, whom I hold in high regard. She and I have had the opportunity to work together on various files, including the French language file, and I appreciate her co-operation. She talked about major projects that built the country, particularly the railway. She mentioned various major projects and spoke about the vision that we must have when we want to build a great country. I completely agree with her. However, I would like to add a bit of history. Going back to the construction of the trans-Canada railway, it is important to remember that the workers were forced to endure absolutely appalling conditions. That would never fly today. It is also important to remember the development of airports like the one in Mirabel, which is making the news again because of the high-speed rail project. I will tie that in as well, because the community of Mirabel is still deeply scarred and extremely traumatized by the brutal expropriations in 1969-70. Now, the government is about to do the same thing with a high-speed rail project. We learned from news reports that Alto has signed confidentiality agreements that prevent farmers from hiring appraisal companies because they are now all tied to that project. Is that what my colleague thinks it means to go—