Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Perreault, I'll use the expression we often hear when talking about municipalities in Quebec: we say it's a “provincial creature”.
It is a creation of the Quebec government, and, particularly in Quebec, federal government bodies must go through, notably, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, or MMAH, or the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Land Use Planning, or MALUP, depending on the acronym in use at the time. You've worked in the provincial government, so you're familiar with the acronyms.
What are you doing to try to improve things with the ministry?
I understand your problem. You're the mayor of a town with 7,000 residents. You want to improve the quality of life for those people. You want your municipality to grow and prosper. However, you have a taxpayer who doesn't necessarily contribute their fair share and who acts a bit like they own the place.
How could you succeed in improving relations with the help of the Quebec government? Perhaps by creating a tripartite committee?
How can we make city management easier?
Your municipality is functional. You are the one who keeps it running, but you are constrained by the Quebec government and by national defence. You are responsible for schools, you are responsible for public safety, but you are not in charge of your own affairs.
How can we make recommendations to ensure that the federal government finds solutions?
As you said earlier, you don't know what's happening elsewhere. Neither do I, but I know what is happening at the Valcartier military base. In Saint-Gabriel and in your municipality, the town of Shannon, these are rather unique situations.
How could we ensure that we facilitate co-operation between national defence, in particular, and the towns in Quebec, but also across Canada?
We need a comprehensive vision. It's likely that the hierarchy and administrative red tape within national defence mean that, in the end, you're the ones left holding the bag. There's a waste of energy. There's a waste of money, and we're adding another layer in Quebec because you can't speak directly to federal authorities.
As you said earlier, help us help you.
How can we help you make this more sustainable, so that the municipality of Shannon can go even further, to become an attractive town, a picturesque town, a vacation destination?
In fact, I am pleased to represent it as the member of Parliament for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier. Your municipality is one of the 26 municipalities I represent. Your municipality actually has the lowest tax rate. So that is a source of pride, but I would like to be even prouder. I would like us to work together, Ms. Perreault.
Could you give us some guidance in this regard?