Thank you.
Mr. Wilson, I've listened a couple of times to your comments, and Mr. Galipeau wants to jump out of his seat, but I'll take the questions instead.
I'm kind of perplexed by a couple of your comments, to be perfectly blunt. I find it hard to understand how, when you need to build transit systems, you're suggesting the government shouldn't invest in building transit systems, even though, clearly, large municipalities need these things. We've invested more in passenger rail, and both commuter and passenger rail in the country than any government in recent history. We've invested more in public transit than any federal government in history.
I don't know how you take the homeless off the street or provide homes for families that can't afford them if you're not going to build affordable housing. I don't know how you provide a health care system that responds to the needs of Canadians if you're not going to invest in it. I don't know how you support international trade if you're not going to develop the Pacific gateway. I don't how you support research and innovation if you're not prepared to put stimulus money into science and research. I don't know how you're going to connect people to the Internet if you're not going to invest in rural broadband. I don't how you're going to put blue collar workers in this country to work if you're not going to build things.
So I take some offence to what you're saying when you're suggesting that the government stimulus program is directed in the wrong directions. I completely disagree with that. I also think that you're looking beyond the fact that officials from National Archives, for example, who have already appeared before this committee, said that they have digitized their entire archives. The Canadian Museums Association has come in and said most of their members have virtually digitized all of their displays.
I don't think Canada is a laggard in this as you're suggesting we are. Could we do more? Absolutely, there's an opportunity to do more. I also would not suggest that this in any way reflects or is as significant to this country as the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was the completion of the impossible dream and which led to Confederation and allowed British Columbia to join this country.
I take some offence at some of the things you're saying. I agree with you that there is significant opportunity here, but I think we should be specific when we're talking about what the opportunity is and we should also acknowledge where Canada is on this, not where we could be but not as far behind as you're suggesting either.