Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much, gentlemen, for coming to share your views with us.
As a committee, we specifically wanted to meet with all of you because we wanted to get as broad a perspective as possible on the views associated with high-speed train travel introduction in the country. Allow me, for a moment, to simply say that all of you have said something that I think everybody around the table has appreciated for some time--and I'm glad you came here to reiterate that--that is, that the introduction of a high-speed rail system should be considered as part of a multi-modal passenger system throughout the country. Specifically, you have to start somewhere, and this committee has looked at two areas that really engage three provinces, as a start.
The committee, I think so far, has been interested in the concept of ensuring that there is a multi-modal approach to any kind of an introduction, but we're not the ones conducting the feasibility study. Our questions are a little bit more specific.
I'm wondering if I can go beyond saying thank you, Mr. Jeanes, for introducing the concept of economic development and technological innovation. If I can come back to you in a minute, I will. I just want to see if I can maximize the seven minutes. It's an issue that has not been discussed at great length with us for some time, in part because people have different interests—all legitimate, but they are different.
With the airline representatives, I wonder if, when we consider establishing an infrastructure in order to allow for the operation by a private interest, it is your estimation that the user-pay principle has already taken into consideration all the public investments in airports, in the regulatory environment, and in the appropriate supervision that must accompany that business prior to your getting a plane off the ground.