Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I also want to thank our witness and congratulate Heritage Canada Foundation for the amazing work they've been doing over the years.
I think you're absolutely right that the collection we have of buildings and heritage assets across the country is quite fundamental to our country's essence of what we are as a people and as a nation. It's really the soul of what Canada is all about. If we destroy that, we really destroy our history. And it's very important that we do everything possible to maintain them.
I understand your recommendations and your concerns. There is a need to be more proactive, certainly to make all efforts. But beyond that, I like your suggestion about the statutory protection of the covenant, because I think you're right, just to make the best efforts is not always good enough and you're always worried about what's going to happen to these historic buildings down the road.
I think we don't do enough, for whatever reason, compared to most western countries. I was born in Europe, and I find we just don't have this great attachment to our historic buildings as we should. And every time we spend money, people always misconstrue it, even the media, and we politicians do it ourselves. We're constantly critical, saying that it's just wasting money. It's not wasting money; it's really protecting our history and what Canada is all about. It's really important that we spend a good amount of time dealing with heritage issues, because it's so fundamentally important.
Even, for example, on renovating 24 Sussex Drive or Rideau Hall, people get very worried about that. I find it appalling that people don't understand that this belongs to all Canadians. It doesn't belong to the Prime Minister or the Governor General; it belongs to all of us for all time.
I get very saddened when I hear comments from people that belittle our history and belittle these important monuments we have, and when there's not enough attention paid to them, because they don't belong to one individual; they belong to all of us for all time, for present generations and future generations as well.
I really like the idea you're suggesting about a covenant. Could you give us some practical ways we can make sure this is within our agreements?