Thank you very much.
I am going to share my time with Mr. Grewal.
Mr. Minister, a downturn in the economy means a lowering of revenues for all levels of government, not just the federal level. In my riding of Pickering—Uxbridge, we have a huge infrastructure backlog, as do many Canadian cities. I was speaking to Mr. Grewal about Brampton as well.
Municipalities can't not provide safe drinking water. We can't not fix bridges or roads. In the downturned economy, we still have to make these investments in our municipalities. It's becoming more and more unaffordable for Canadians to live, with higher property taxes but without an increase in income.
Given the downturn in the economy, I want to make sure the focus is still on investing in our communities, investing in infrastructure. We heard during the pre-budget consultations from the FCM, Ontario's Big City Mayors, and many job creators about investment in infrastructure. Can you commit that we are still going to invest in municipalities to ensure that we are not just putting the cost of infrastructure on the backs of taxpayers down the line?