Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We certainly appreciate the hospitality that's been provided by the group here in Portage La Prairie. I know we'll have to put it up there as probably the highlight of the week. So thanks very much for having us here.
One of the significant themes in the hearings we've held over the last three weeks that comes up time and time again--and it was mentioned a lot this morning--is the aspect of a dedicated transfer. One of the biggest issues that I think we face is trying to negotiate with the provinces to be able to do that, because as you all know, the provinces would much prefer that the federal government pay its fair share to them--and more where needed and more where wanted. But the fact is that negotiating that and trying to come to an agreement on that is going to be extremely difficult.
I only have seven minutes, so if you could try to keep your response brief it would be appreciated. But the type of...[Technical difficulty--Editor]...universities or the chamber or colleges could provide in terms of pressuring the provinces, specifically here in Manitoba, to agree to that type of arrangement where the funds would be dedicated.