Mr. Chair, I cannot discuss this project in detail; I have just been told that there are problems. However, I can tell you that if there is one problem that appears all over the country—if there is one major problem experienced by all organizations that deal with the government—it is delays in funding. I have often been told, from the Maritimes to British Columbia, of the problems experienced by groups that have applied for funding and that eventually receive their cheque in October or December. We are talking about money that has to be spent before March 31.
This presents a problem on two levels. First of all, there is a euphemism that is often used in government, the expression "manage the risk". Managing risk, when you do not know whether you are going to receive a cheque, puts an incredible amount of stress on people who are working with very few resources to start with. However, there is another problem that was reported to me by more than one group. Quite often, these communities, these organizations work in small communities, and they want to use their funds to provide work for local people. When there is a study or recurring funding but the cheque is late and the work has to be done within the next two or three months, they cannot call upon a group in their region. They have to use a large consulting firm in Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver, which has the resources to do the work immediately, on demand, for late December, to do work that has to be done by March 31. The challenge is twofold.