Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would first like to congratulate our colleague Richard Martel, who was appointed to the Senate today. This is wonderful news for us, and for you. I wanted to say that, and I also wanted to welcome Mr. Thériault, who is back for the first time since his surgery.
As regards the motion, I would nevertheless like to correct some of what Mr. Hardy said earlier. We are not talking about billions of dollars, but about a $150-million housing agreement between British Columbia and the federal government.
This really doesn't match what you implied earlier, Mr. Hardy. It's a provincial agreement. It's comparable to the $10-billion agreement between the federal and provincial governments, which allows the province to spend those funds in line with its priorities. It's a provincial jurisdiction.
I would also like to correct something Mr. Mantle said a little earlier. Ms. Sgro did not cancel the last meeting. However, on June 18, our meeting was cancelled at the last minute. The House adjourned at 3:30 p.m., and we were informed at 3:25 p.m. that the meeting here had been cancelled. There has been a huge lack of respect here.
I shall now return to my comments on the motion that has been tabled. I am disappointed that the Conservatives have chosen to disregard our usual schedule and to convene this meeting without any consultation with the vice-chairs, of whom I am one. Apparently, this committee is at the disposal of the Leader of the Opposition, rather than that of the committee members. There was no discussion with members regarding the timing and details of this meeting. Do not worry, I will always attend when there is a meeting unless I have a major family commitment. No information was provided about the motion we were due to consider. Once again, we only found out at the last minute. We learnt about it through social media. Unfounded insinuations and accusations are being made here.
We are sitting here discussing a program that the Government of British Columbia is currently developing to address a priority that has been identified at provincial level. This is a provincial jurisdiction. It is a funding transfer agreement between the federal and provincial governments. We want to tackle an issue that falls within the province's jurisdiction.