I would like to ask everyone this question because everyone says that the roadmap is good. How can you say that the roadmap is good if you don't even know whether the money comes from it? You cannot determine which projects come from the roadmap. Does the roadmap do anything or not?
As I recall, the government used to give money for arts and culture. But, if I am not mistaken, it slashed $45 million from arts and culture in 2006. Do you remember that? You now say that you received a lot because you got $25.3 million. But if we subtract $45 million from $25.3 million, you are not left with a whole lot. So you suffered a loss.
Does the roadmap take you anywhere or is it just smoke in the air? We know what it is. When we sit in our backyard in the evening and we want to chase mosquitoes away, we light a little fire. Is that what the roadmap is? The government boasts that the roadmap works well, but every time we meet with organizations, it is always the same thing. And it is true, might I add, but I would like to hear what you have to say. I am going to give you time to do so. Could you tell me whether the roadmap is good and, if so, what are you basing that statement on?
The same thing goes for Manitoba. The government has given some $300,000 in the past. Does that money come from other programs? Does it really come from the roadmap? How can you say that the roadmap is good? How can you justify it, when you are telling us that you are not even involved in the process and that you don't know where you got the money from? And you are not alone in saying that, since almost everyone who appeared before us did the same thing. You praise the roadmap and say you want it to be renewed, but you don't actually know if it did anything for you.
You can dive right in.