Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
First I'd like to thank our guests. I think it's important that you're here. I think the dialogue we're having with you is very helpful to the whole committee. I have great respect for the building and construction trades. I want to acknowledge what you do, because without you, infrastructure funding doesn't matter, frankly. We need you to make it work. Again, thank you.
I do want to assure you of one thing, just to clarify something. Minister Flaherty has clearly committed that all of the moneys that have been directed to infrastructure funding, subject to the rules that have been put in place, are commitments, and commitments are commitments. There's no sense of reneging on that. I just want to assure you and ask you to assure your colleagues that there's no sense that there's an intention to renege on our commitments.
I really need to say this. I'd like to offer some empathy, and I mean that from my heart. In my family, people have lost their jobs, in particular my father did one time. People in the trades have lost their jobs, and that's difficult. I think all of us around this table feel a huge empathy for those to whom that has occurred.
I'm somewhat buoyed, however, by your comments, Mr. Smillie, that you estimate some 34,000 jobs have been created.
One thing I do want to address--and I think it's something we've talked about--is this timeframe issue, that we have a certain amount of time. I'm always mindful of politicians. I say this having been in the job only fourteen months and three days.
When I look at this whole thing about timeframes, the thing is if you give us time, we'll take all the time in the world. I guess if there were no priorities established.... Again, this was intended to be stimulus. In other words, it should create an environment in which jobs would be created. If we offered no timelines and if we had said to the municipalities, “Here, take it. Away you go. Do what you do, and let us know how it's going. Come back to us when you can”, do you think there would have been the same sense of stimulus in terms of getting jobs going and projects started if it had been much more casual? I'd be interested in your thoughts on that.