Speech

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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PM announces agreement to eliminate Saint John Harbour Bridge tolls

November 26, 2010
Ottawa, Ontario

Thank you very much, everyone. Thank you, Rodney, for that kind introduction, for the great work you're doing getting things done on behalf of the good people of Saint John.

Premier Alward, Minister Ashfield, Minister Moore, colleagues from the Parliament of Canada, Minister Holder, Members of the Legislative Assembly, representatives of municipal government, ladies and gentlemen, before I begin, I want to start by doing something I haven't had a chance to do in public, and that is to offer my congratulations to Premier Alward on his decisive victory in the election earlier this fall. It was a big win, and I look forward to what we can accomplish working together for the people of this great province and this great country.

It's great to be back in Saint John, especially during the 225th anniversary of Canada's original city. And on that subject, I should always add it's always great to be back in New Brunswick, the province where the Harpers actually go back than 1785, so I guess that makes us one of the original families.

Friends, today is a good day, because we are taking action to solve a problem. And we're taking action by working together, working together to benefit the people of Saint John and to strengthen the regional economy.

The Saint John Harbour Bridge is a crucial piece of infrastructure. It was built to ease traffic congestion in the city and it connects truckers with the Port of Saint John and the U.S. border. It's important to commuters, to regional businesses, and to the transportation industry. And so it has to be kept in good shape, and so it should help the regional economy, not hinder it.

But charging tolls to use it is serving neither of these purposes. The toll adds up for commuters and for hardworking families trying to make ends meet. It cuts significantly into the profits of truckers. It raises costs for businesses trying to get their products to market, and it isn't doing what it was intended to do, pay off the debt on the original construction of the bridge back in the 1960s.

As you know, I'm here to make an announcement, but what I'm about to say won't be news to anyone in Saint John: the bridge tolls have to go. Ottawa may seem a long way away, but thanks to your Member of Parliament, Rodney Weston, your message on this has been heard loud and clear.

And so today I'm very pleased to announce that at long last, the Saint John Harbour Bridge will be toll free.

The tolls will be removed no later than March 31st, 2011. To make that possible, our government is cancelling the debt that remains from the construction of the bridge, that the government of Canada and the government of New Brunswick will split the cost of the rehabilitation work now underway.

This is a major step forward for Saint John and for the local and regional economy. It will strengthen trade and transport corridors within the province, it will benefit the transportation industry and other regional businesses, and it will help create jobs over the long term.

And friends, to give all the credit where it's due, I have to thank first of all Rodney Weston for raising the profile of this issue, and for his very effective advocacy in Ottawa on behalf of the people of Saint John.

Thanks also go to Minister Keith Ashfield as the regional minister for New Brunswick, for developing the solution that made today's announcement possible.

And a special thanks to Premier Alward for the leadership he has shown in working with us to make sure all of this actually happens for the people of Saint John.

As I said, today is a good day. Through strong cooperation with the provincial and municipal governments, we are building not just through this but many other things a better future for this great city and for New Brunswick as a whole.

In fact, right now through our Economic Action Plan, our government is stimulating the economy and putting Canadians to work through some 23,000 projects from coast to coast to coast. We're creating the modern infrastructure Canada needs for long-term economic growth.

Rodney mentioned a couple of things, but here in Saint John through the Economic Action Plan we've also invested in upgrades to the New Brunswick Southern Railway, improvements in new construction at the local campuses of New Brunswick Community College and the University of New Brunswick, upgrades to the Canada Games Stadium, and construction of the city's new green thermal energy utility, among many other important and necessary projects.

Now, friends, if I can just take your mind to the bigger picture for a second, Canadians should be very proud of the fact that during the worst global recession in half a century, our country has significantly outperformed its peers. Among the major advanced economies, we were the last in, least affected, and we are coming out the fastest and strongest.

The Canadian economy has now created more jobs than were lost during the recession, and we are doing it with the lowest deficit and debt among the major advanced economies by far.

But as you all know, the global recovery remain fragile, and we will not lose our focus on our economy and our future.

Earlier today, I met with businesspeople here in Saint John and received their insights on how to plan the way forward. The economy is the number one priority of Canadians, in Saint John and right across the country, and so it will remain the number one priority of our government.

Removing tolls and helping rehabilitate the Saint John Harbour Bridge is another sign of that priority and another step forward toward a bright future for the people of Saint John and all New Brunswickers.

Thanks and congratulations to everybody.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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