That's my sense of humour. It was supposed to be funny. It explains the two solitudes. We sometimes have good concepts in French that cannot really be translated. It just means that, even though our opinions may be well thought out, politics, like life, is made up of nuances. We cannot just say that that's the way things are, that things are bad and that everyone is like that and that we shouldn't get involved.
Mr. Thomas, with all due respect, I commend all organizations asking that money be well spent. The government's role is also to make sure that everyone has services, wherever they are, from coast to coast to coast.
Did I say “coast” three times? Is that what I said? The other “coast” is the American border.
The Canadian government has a role to play. I come from Quebec and I want us to respect the Constitution. I understand that we might have to invest and we have to make sure that everyone can play a part. But you are telling us that there is no part to play and that, on top of that, the federal government should remove the gas tax. I feel there will be inequities among municipalities. It is not just about the municipalities. It is also a matter of citizenship. Everyone has a right to have the same quality of life and belong to the first class, whether they live in a rural or urban area.
We need to have guidelines on how to spend the money. We have to invest, since we are not going to let people starve. One way is to invest in infrastructure. The Canadian government, with the support of the official opposition, decided to invest in order to protect our economy by providing services to people, as it did a while ago.
I actually respect your point of view. I am just asking you to look at the subtleties. It is important for the government to play its part and to provide services to people.
Mr. Chair, I could talk for hours but I am going to stop here.