Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to thank you for the neutrality you have shown.
It is important that the members of your association be fully aware of the fact that Mr. Flaherty, the Minister of Finance, promised that all the stimulus projects would begin at the end of May of last year. The municipalities' efficiency is not the only problem. There are a lot of problems here in Ottawa. I am still asking that this government apply the same standards to itself that it does to its partners. Speechmaking is not enough.
Personally, I have never been the mayor of a city, but my father was. I appreciate that contribution. It is very important not to accept the idea that there is more expertise here in Ottawa. During the 1960s, half of this country's infrastructure was the responsibility of the federal government. Today, it is 11%. The municipalities are the ones with the expertise, and it is very important to put to good use the billions of dollars that the government has requested from Parliament which may have to be paid back by our grandchildren and future generations. These days, there is another problem in Parliament with respect to a small lake in Toronto. There is already a great lake next to Toronto, but the government decided to create another one for the media. That's a fundamental issue. How do we benefit from that?
In terms of this situation, I hope the government has a clear understanding of the issues. I attended the meeting with the Canadian municipalities. I heard the Prime Minister say that there would be no extension. But the real issue is not the extension; rather, it is the fact that the deadline is inflexible and arbitrary. For me, that is an important point. For the Prime Minister, the Minister and committee members, it's a matter of determining which arrangement would benefit the country. This money does not belong either to the government currently in office or to our party. This is money that must be used effectively all across the country, now and in the future.
I do hope it will be possible to secure a recommendation from all committee members on this very practical issue. How can we ensure that the programs are a success? I have the feeling we will need more information in order to convince committee members. Maybe it would be possible to do a survey to have a precise idea of the consequences as a whole, in all the different communities across Quebec. We have a choice: to ensure that, between now and the end of March, 2011, these projects will be beneficial and achieve their objectives, or suffer one failure after the other. Why? Because this committee is afraid to take its responsibilities? I hope not.
Does someone have further comments that could guide this committee's deliberations? As I see it, this is not about a confrontation. It is about finding a way to work together to achieve the best possible outcome.