That is what I understood.
As for the future management of these lands, I don't need to spell it out for you. Some groups are opposed to development, some would like to see more, and others want this area to be recognized as a national park. From what I understand, you feel that the status quo is reasonable.
I would like to move to another subject now. In the bill, there is a reference to a master plan that the NCC would have accepted, that the governor in council would accept and which would then be tabled in Parliament, without however being approved of by the latter. We in the Liberal Party believe that this plan should be approved by Parliament.
Speaking of this plan, I would suggest—and the Liberal Party is committed to this aspect—that the plan should take into consideration the potential distribution of jobs in the region. For years now, job distribution in the National Capital Region has been called for in the following percentages: 75 for the Ontario side and 25 for the Quebec side. No one is policing this. We believe that it should be the role of the NCC, within the framework of its master plan.
You have already had a career in the federal public service. You are aware of the issue. We do not want this to be strictly about jobs under the Canadian government's Treasury Board Secretariat. We want it to include all direct and indirect Canadian government jobs, that is to say all federal organization jobs. This would involve the addition of approximately 10,000 more jobs on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. This would not necessarily have to be only within the former cities of Hull, Gatineau or Aylmer. It could go beyond that. However, we insist that this job distribution be part of the NCC's mandate, that it be part of its master plan and that this master plan be approved by Parliament.
What do you think?