Thank you, Chair.
We know that in Ontario, there are more than 45,000 kilometres of drainage services and two million hectares of cropland, and it's necessary to maintain drainage and remove excess water to prevent nutrient loss and soil degradation. I have municipalities in my riding experiencing significant issues with drainage maintenance.
We know the railways are obliged to make the payments to assist in those efforts. I'm wondering why railways like CN are not following the law and complying with payments. We heard from you earlier what the cost estimate burden is on our municipalities and farmers and what can be done to make them comply and prevent them from passing these costs on to consumers. We've heard most of those answers.
I'm just curious. If the carbon tax was scrapped, would the railways have the money to pay for the drainage issues in Ontario?