Thank you, Mr. Chair.
What Mr. Saxton failed to mention about the deficit is that it was artificially created. We have to take a very long and pointless detour before we achieve some semblance of a balanced budget again.
I'm going to stay on the topic of the deficit.
Mr. Atkinson, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities said there was still a major shortfall in terms of infrastructure across the country. We're talking nearly $150 billion. The federal government has responsibilities and some jurisdiction in the area of infrastructure. The Parliamentary Budget Officer determined that, as far as federal funding allocated to investment programs was concerned, some $4 billion had not been spent. So the much talked about program valued at $170 billion over 10 years is partly funded by recycled money.
The federal government has not taken the necessary steps to improve infrastructure or help municipalities. Would you care to comment on that?