Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome to the committee, Mr. Généreux and Mr. Vaillancourt.
I have had the pleasure and the privilege of attending the conventions of both the Union of Quebec Municipalities and the Fédération Québécoise des Municipalités, and to begin, the first thing we should say is that you are asking not for charity but for flexibility. You are the government that is closest to the people. You know that you have a direct influence on people's quality of life. I think it is completely unacceptable to see a federal government close down this way and even, when questions are asked in the House, give the impression that Quebec is on one side and everything is fine elsewhere, as if we were whiners in Quebec, when that is not the case at all. The ministers are perfectly happy, however, to go to the inauguration ceremonies to cut the ribbons or to go and see you.
My first question is for Mr. Généreux, and perhaps Mr. Vaillancourt as well. The ministers are now talking about finding a fair and reasonable solution. That means a lot of things. Do you have any follow-up from the meeting with Mr. Lebel? Were you ultimately told that the main fault lay with the administrative labyrinth and bureaucracy, particularly at level of the Government of Canada? Have you followed up with the former mayor of Roberval, who should understand how a municipality operates, given that it is next to Saint-Félicien?