Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for coming today.
I, for one, am very excited about this. I think many Canadians are, especially considering the global context of needing to invest in our own country, connect provinces together and stimulate more transportation. This is a really important thing that for a very long time we'll be looking back at and we'll be very happy about the investments into the long term.
You can add on the context that Canada is one of the only G7 countries without high-speed rail. It seems as though we are lacking in that department, and this will be long overdue to really help that.
With budget 2025, this is, of course, a generational initiative. It's going to boost our economy, create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs and, of course, unlock enhanced productivity with the increased transportation.
Could you share with this committee what message that building this very ambitious project will send to our allies, our trading partners and our international investors? How is this going to set up our reputation around the globe?