From the perspective of being the chair of the QUEST initiative, I outlined two significant areas where I hope the report you'll be coming out with approves of the approach we're taking, and agrees, hopefully in as broad a way as possible, that the technology, program, and infrastructure funding allows this tremendous initiative to blossom. Thousands of communities across this country—small communities, medium-sized cities, larger cities—can then start to integrate energy, through integrated energy systems, into a whole new way of moving from non-sustainable to sustainable cities.
There are a number of initiatives under way. I personally think that the previous Liberal government and the present Conservative government have increased the resources going to cities. The infrastructure program, the elimination of the GST on municipal purchases, the $2 billion that's equivalent to 5¢ of gas tax--those were very good initiatives. The committee I chaired for the Prime Minister on what the national role should be in Canada's cities and communities outlined a number of approaches, which by and large are now incorporated in the agreements that have been signed by the national government, provinces, and municipalities across this country.
I think the framework is there. People have agreed, whether they be provincial, municipal, or federal, that they're going to move in this sustainability direction. We think energy should be incorporated into the picture you're trying to grapple with here. Integrated energy systems should be part of green infrastructure and sustainable cities and community strategies. Then, hopefully the funding that is now going out into communities as shovel-in-the-ground in the next 120 days, to kick-start the economy and put people back to work, will follow that approach to green infrastructure within sustainable city strategies and integrate energy into that.
That's the push we would like to see the committee consider. Hopefully you'll put it into the recommendations in your report. We'd be quite prepared to look at any draft report you come out with to add further to the recommendations that we hope you will be making to the government to implement in the budget deliberations coming up next fall.