Thank you very much.
I have a comment and a question. Mr. Brown would like to have a comment and a question as well.
I was part of the group in the past meeting that had the opportunity to listen to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. I want to remind members around the table what Mr. Page said about the reporting. He acknowledged that he'd received three reports thus far, and each report was better than the previous one. He had no reason to believe that the fourth one wouldn't be better still. He indicated he was looking forward to receiving the reports as he had requested.
I was quite pleased that the Parliamentary Budget Officer took an optimistic and positive view. I need to put that on the table, because the politics of politics sometimes doesn't get the complete story out.
I come from a business background and have a sense of running a small multi-million dollar company. But on cashflows in and out, it's a very complex process. I'm not sure whether all the folks around the table are aware of the magnitude of this, with almost 8,000 projects out there. That's phenomenal.
I'd like to compliment all of our guests here--our department officials and ministers. I think it's a huge undertaking to do this as promptly as you have.
I've also heard broad references around the table that somehow preferential treatment has been given to government ridings and the like. I've referenced before some “gotcha” politics that need to be taken out of the equation in this.
Minister Baird, are you aware whether any provinces or municipal leaders have complained that infrastructure dollars might have been directed for Conservative Party gain?