And considerable risk.
If the cities mentioned by Mr. Vaillancourt earlier—Longueuil, Gatineau, Saint-Hyacinthe, Matane and so on—do not participate, your stimulus plan will be a monumental failure. You are creating a dangerous precedent. In all the other programs, you have considered the cities to be your partners, both Liberal and Conservatives. But now, for the first time, you see them as suppliers who will ultimately be the ones to pay, and that is exactly what is going to happen. These projects will be completed, but in terms of the investments you mentioned earlier, Mr. Jean, some funding will not have been provided by the federal government. It will have been provided by the cities alone, because they will have to bear the burden of any costs incurred after the deadline. They joined the program.
Next time, you had better be careful, because this is serious. I know that your Prime Minister made a statement. However, the situation is not the same all across Canada. Cities in British Columbia and Ontario have reserve funds, but that is not the case for municipalities in the province of Quebec. You must be aware of the municipalities' financial circumstances. It is clear that you have made your choice, and they will be the ones to pay. You are going to punish them this time. But be careful, because the next time, it may be the Canadian government that ends up being punished. I must say that would benefit me greatly. We have always felt that there are two solitudes. And in this case, it seems to me you are missing a great opportunity to work with your partners.