Why don't I just say a little bit of it?
I would say yes, the government should set up a commission, and in short order, too. If you take the centennial as a significant precedent, the commission was created in 1962. As you know, if we want to build anything of any significance, that requires planning. The time it takes these days to get an environmental assessment, to get all the contracts lined up...it takes several years to build anything. Even though it does seem to most Canadians as though we're still a ways away from 2017, in fact in planning terms it's practically tomorrow, so we do need to get moving.
I understand the importance of commemorating the jubilee and the War of 1812, and there are some other milestones, and these are getting maybe a little backed up in the system, but let's not miss this opportunity by playing out the clock on it.
To that end, I think the provinces have each begun their own conversations internally about what they can do to mark the sesquicentennial. Most significantly, it's P.E.I. that is first out of the gate. I should commend to you the work of David MacKenzie, who was recently appointed the CEO of P.E.I. 2014. Why 2014? Well, of course, it was when the Fathers of Confederation met in P.E.I., and P.E.I.'s big theme is the idea of the great dream: we had a great dream on that island then and it led to Canada. So they're going to spend 2014 celebrating that meeting, and in time will be helping Canadians to create an on-ramp to 2017.
They're going to have two conferences: one in December for Islanders to have a big think about what needs to happen, and then they're going to invite prominent Canadians--leading organizations from coast to coast--to the Island, probably in February or March of next year, for another big think about what the country should do to mark the occasion. So you can look to the Island for some leadership on this issue.