Yes. Thank you.
Through you, Mr. Chairman, perhaps you would like to follow along with the proposal you have before you. I think it is on page 5 where it outlines the addition, on the right-hand side of the page. “Rising to the Moment” is the top headline there, and what we're asking for is additional flexibility.
In certain circumstances our infrastructure is in dire need of investment, and it is an investment. It is not just raising taxes or pushing money out the door; it's an investment for needed infrastructure across Canada. In some instances, municipalities have done a better job than others, and we recognize that. They've done the proper investment, but they need other investments, in such things as sporting facilities, art centres, and cultural centres, and they should have that opportunity to attract some level of funding.
That's where, if it's an allocation model that we're advocating for, it provides for an opportunity to improve the quality of life of Canadians, because after all, that's what we were elected to do, to improve the quality of life of Canadians in whatever means possible. It's making sure it's efficient, of course, and making sure there's a foundation for us as a nation to be more effective and moving forward, having an economy that works for all of us as well—jobs, for instance.
What we're saying is an expansion of the framework is important to recognize that there is a diversity of need across the country. Up north the need will be significantly different from what it is in urban centres. Rural Canada has a whole host of issues that are different and just as important despite not being the same as what it would be in an urban centre.