In closing, Mr. Chairman, since I am a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities as well as that of the Canadian Urban Transit Association, I can tell you how important it is—and we all feel the same way—for Canada to have a national urban transit strategy.
Moreover, the increase in ridership levels demonstrates that the public is ever more willing to use mass transit. In Canada, in the past five years, the number of riders has increased by 10%. As chair of the Société de transport de l'Outaouais, which is just across the river, I can tell you that our ridership has increased by 60% over the past 10 years. We are experiencing a crisis, since we must manage a growth that is beyond our financial capacity.
I will close by saying that Canada's urban transit network requires stronger leadership from the federal government, in partnership with provincial and municipal governments, in order to achieve an effective long-term plan for urban transit.