It's a pleasure to be here, Mr. Chair, and thank you.
It's wonderful to see our friends from Metrolinx.
My first comment is that we know the GTA is losing about $6 billion annually right now due to lost productivity due to gridlock. This is a huge economic issue of concern for the region. It should be a concern for our federal government, because if the federal government doesn't have its eyes trained on the economy, then it's not doing its job.
I want you to talk a little bit about that gridlock and the economic costs, because too often our friends on the other side of the room here want to talk about the upfront costs. They don't want to think about the costs down the road. If we're losing $6 billion in lost productivity, well, that's revenue for the federal government right there.
I want you to talk a little bit about what gridlock does to the economy. What's our problem here with gridlock and why is it so crucial for Canadians to understand the importance of getting people moving?