Thank you for that excellent question, Mr. Ste‑Marie. Unfortunately, I must leave after answering it, since I need to get back to work.
Our position on this issue is an open secret. We've already appeared in the media to ask the federal government to provide a clear action plan for the return of public servants. I'm not only making the case on behalf of the Gatineau Chamber of Commerce, but on behalf of the entire country. Federal public servants must return to their buildings across the country.
We all know that COVID‑19 isn't going away. We must learn to live with this virus. We need to get back to normal. I know that normal won't be what we had before the pandemic. However, we need a game plan to bring public servants back to the workplace so that we can give some breathing room to downtown businesses. This economic fabric was built on regional economies. These businesses are in dire need of the public servants' presence.