I want to point out that I had a very good meeting with Ms. Jérôme-Forget. I respect the fact that many of the areas covered the Building Canada Initiative fall under provincial jurisdiction. The government is working with Ms. Jérôme-Forget and Minister Normandeau. With the stimulus funds, I have no doubt that Quebec will have enough projects that will begin as soon as possible, and be completed by March 2011. New investments provided in the budget could support municipalities' and provinces' infrastructure funding requests. Of course, with respect to cultural infrastructure, that is a shared area of jurisdiction. But for areas that fall under federal jurisdiction such as the harbours located in Sept-Îles, Quebec city and Montreal, all of those play a significant role in economic growth. I have no doubt that we are ready to work with Quebec in areas of provincial jurisdiction, that we can support projects, create jobs, and make investments that will not only improve the quality of life, but also support economic growth.
On February 12th, 2009. See this statement in context.