Thank you, Chair. I appreciate that very much.
Thank you, ministers Champagne, Ng and Hutchings, for your time today and for your work in these challenging times that we are living in. I very much appreciate it.
I would like to start with you, Minister Hutchings.
You and I have had the privilege of sitting together in the Atlantic caucus for about seven years now, and we have both been able to bring diverse perspectives to the issues of the day. You have been such an incredible advocate for rural communities. As you know, I am a city planner by profession, and what I think we have found is that people in rural and urban areas share many of the same needs, particularly around access to effective transit and housing, but the solutions and challenges are not exactly the same for urban and rural communities.
I wonder if you could talk to us about the challenges and opportunities for transit and housing for rural Canadians and the work that you're undertaking on those issues.