Thank you very much.
FQM's members adopted a resolution on infrastructure at their annual general meeting in late 2021 calling for more investment in municipal infrastructure by the two levels of government. A recurring theme in our demands is that funding be predictable and flexible. Mr. Demers discussed this a few years ago before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
FQM's members also demand that the planning initiatives of the municipalities be used as investment decision-making criteria rather than fixed and at times restricted categories that prevent investment in crucial infrastructure such as municipal buildings, fire stations, municipal garages and dams. These demands on FQM's part are recurring, and we've made them under the Taxe sur l’essence et de la contribution du Québec, or TECQ, program, which is funded under the Canada community-building fund.
Since the program will expire in 2023, this is an excellent opportunity to design a new program that applies to more types of assets, including those previously cited, and that will provide longer-term funding. The TECQ program is a good example of a program tailored to the circumstances of the municipalities. All we need is to improve it by extending it and making it more flexible.
In closing, I would like to add a word on adapting to climate change, which is also related to infrastructure. The municipalities have a front row seat from which to observe climate change, and they will also be the first to have to adapt to it. The Canadian government should therefore partner with the municipalities to help them adapt to climate change and should make significant investments to that end.