Jay Hill Gets Minister to Back Port of Prince Rupert ‘On The Record’
MP Says He’ll Hold Liberals and Transport Minister to Expansion Commitment

November 30, 2004

Ottawa – Jay Hill, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River, said today he will not allow federal Transport Minister Jean Lapierre to forget his commitment, made yesterday during Question Period in the House of Commons, to support re-development of the Port of Prince Rupert.

“I extracted from the minister a promise to join Conservative MPs who have voiced their support for this golden economic opportunity,” stated Hill. “In the coming weeks and months, I will continue to remind the Minister of his statement and why the Port of Prince Rupert proposal is so critical to the future of trade throughout Canada.”

Interest in the project has intensified because at the Port of Vancouver, freighters line up in the harbour waiting for a terminal to become available and containers pile up waiting to be loaded onto departing ships or onto trains heading for Eastern Canada. Similar delays are being experienced at U.S. border crossings, particularly in Ontario and Quebec. The mayors’ delegation Mr. Hill referred to in his question included Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley and Dawson Creek Councillor Bud Powell.

The following is the exchange yesterday between Mr. Hill and Minister Lapierre:

Jay Hill: Mr. Speaker, last week, mayors from British Columbia and Ontario came to Ottawa to demonstrate their support for new development plans at the port of Prince Rupert. Expansion of the port and its container facilities, when combined with improvements to the rail system that services it, would ensure that critical trade opportunities are not lost due to transportation backlogs and border delays. Conservative MPs recognize the tremendous economic potential of a new and improved port of Prince Rupert, but time is short. Is the Minister of Transport prepared to come on board with this proposal?

Jean Lapierre (Minister of Transport): Mr. Speaker, I was in Prince Rupert two weeks ago. I was very impressed by the proposal and the number of partners that came to the table ready to contribute. That is why I had a long discussion with my B.C. colleagues at caucus. Everybody is in support of this project. We just have to find the ways and means to support it financially. Obviously it is a great project. It has the greatest potential because of the new trade with China. We are very interested in that project.

Today Hill added, “Expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert, which is 30 hours closer to Asia, will benefit businesses and industry in Prince George-Peace River, in British Columbia, and all across Canada.”

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For more information, please contact:
Jay Hill, M.P. (613) 947-4524