Thank you very much.
Congratulations on your appointment. Welcome to the committee, and welcome to the officials who are part of the large crowd that has been drawn by the star power or salaries, one or the other.
I would like to explore the comments you made with regard to your interpretation of your mandate, specifically that the government has tasked you with leading discussions with provincial and territorial governments that will help define the federal infrastructure, predictable funding, and so on. In terms of the predictability of funding and so on, that has been a long-sought exercise, and I would be supportive.
However, that plus the reference to respect for jurisdiction causes me to be a little concerned about the question of having a seat at the table. In the modern Canada, there has been a modernization of the relationship between Canada and the municipalities, one that is welcomed, I think, by the municipalities.
Earlier this year, a senator in the other place identified, in fact, the inappropriateness of some of that relationship between the Government of Canada and municipalities, which causes municipalities to be quite concerned that they may lose their place at the table.
I'd like to be reassured that it is appropriate for the Government of Canada to negotiate arrangements with municipalities around a national purpose on the environment and so on, and that it can be done directly with municipalities without being in contravention of the Constitution.