Thank you, Mr. Minister, for the opportunity to ask a few questions.
I'll touch first of all on issues relating to the Asia Pacific gateway, for which I'm the critic for our party. Then I'd like to ask a question on the rail study. That will relate to one of the items that came out of Mr. Lewis's report—that is, the need for Transport Canada to have additional financial resources to deal adequately with the issue of rail safety, and what plans you have for that.
I would like to ask another question regarding air transport. You talked about Blue Sky. I'm concerned about improved destination status not coming to Canada for the more open transportation and tourism arrangements and the air travel between China and Canada.
My final question will relate to infrastructure. I've heard questions in the past from some of the members across the table on infrastructure money that would be available—for example, for community centres. I know I was directed to you. On the north shore of Vancouver, we have a large Persian community, Iranian immigrants who have been asking and there have been commitment statements made by Minister Emerson and others that they were looking for money. What progress has been made on that?
To my main question, which relates to the gateway, I'm noticing in parts I and II of your estimates, the funding contributions on page 24-5 for 2008-09, that for the Asia Pacific gateway you're showing $82 million. You show that for 2007-08 you had estimates of $43 million.
My understanding is that in terms of the comparable for the five-year period when we as Liberals committed to the gateway fund, we had talked about $591 million. You had $552 million, which I realize you've stretched out now to 2014 to hit $1 billion.
But for 2008-09, I was seeing a commitment from you of $158 million. If I add this up and if I go to section 2, part III, page 13, I see another $9,700,000, which would only add up to about $92 million. So you're about $66 million shy, and I'm wondering why.
I'm looking at what looks like projections of planned spending in 2009-10 of $142 million, and only $93 million in 2010-11. It looks like you're falling short of the commitment there, and I'd like you to comment on that.