Government Operations Committee on March 5th, 2009

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

So is the answer, then, that you do not have a list?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have a list.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

You have a list.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have a list of a lot of projects that are ready to go.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Good. Thank you.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I get five or six things added to that list every day.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

So my next question is, if you have a list--as you've said, you have a long list of projects ready to go--will you show us that list?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I'll be happy to table the Metrolinx proposal. It's $18 billion--

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

That was not what I asked. Will you share with us--

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I'll share with you that list.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

--that long list of projects that you have ready to go?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I'll share with you the Metrolinx...the requests that I've been receiving.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

So are you saying no, that you will not share that list with us?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have just said that we received requests for funding. Under those new funds, decisions have to be made in cooperation with the provinces.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

But you want the money now. If the money is to--

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

You either have confidence in the government or you don't. You voted confidence in the government 61 times.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Mr. Minister--

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

You can't be a little bit pregnant.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Mr. Minister, we have asked you to be here today to answer our questions and I'm not actually getting clarity. You have now confirmed that you have a long list of projects ready to go. I hope so, in the sense that if you're asking for money to be spent right away, the homework will have been done to be able to spend that money right away. I'm reassured by the fact that you've now said you have a long list of projects ready to go.

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

It gets longer every day.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

My second question is, will you share that list with the other members of the government being asked to approve this spending?

[John Baird, Conservative, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

With...?

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

With the government. We are in opposition.

[A voice]

Parliamentarians.

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Will you share that list with parliamentarians?