June 18, 1935 (17th Parliament, 6th Session)

Mr. ANGUS McGILLIS (Glengarry):

In
seconding the resolution to give this bill the six months' hoist, I desire to make some observations.
The people of my constituency were promised in 1930, when the Cornwall Bridge Company were granted) a charter, that construction would begin immediately, thereby giving employment to a large number of people. Five years have elapsed and no effort has been made by the promoters to carry out either the promises made in 1930 or the terms of their original charter. In the meantime a very satisfactory roadway for vehicular traffic has been opened1 over the New York Central Railway bridge at Cornwall, which has all the necessary accommodation for the travelling public, in my opinion sufficient to carry all the traffic there will be at that point for many years to come. This proposed bridge has been stressed by the promoters as an "all-Canadian bridge," but I fail to see the significance of this argument, as the promoters themselves stress its value from the standpoint of tourist traffic, which is international. During the last five years the Caughnawaga bridge has been opened, linking up a great avenue of traffic between Montreal and the south shore of the St. Lawrence. The Peace bridge at Fort Erie and the Ambassador bridge at Windsor are both international and link up large centres of population.
In conclusion, I may say that in my opinion the bridge proposed in this bill would never be a paying proposition and I have absolutely no faith in the idea that it will ever be constructed, even if given this extension of time.