My first question is for the mayor of Edmonton, Mr. Iveson.
As you know, the committee has been charged with making recommendations to the government to prevent delays in the allocation of funding to municipalities, an issue the Parliamentary Budget Officer raised in his report on phase 1 of the new infrastructure plan. His report came out in March.
In the report, the Parliamentary Budget Officer indicates that half of the total $14.4-billion budget for phase 1 of the new infrastructure plan has yet to be attributed to projects. In his view, the 2018 budget provides an incomplete account of the changes to the government's $186.7-billion infrastructure spending plan. As I see it, that's a very worrisome finding and the reason why I asked that the committee undertake an emergency study on the subject.
Could you, as chair of the Big City Mayors' Caucus, explain the process for allocating phase 1 funding? More specifically, because phase 1 funding has not been fully allocated yet, how do we make sure municipalities receive the money they need for phase 2? As we all know, your needs are extensive. What mechanisms should be put in place to reassure the country's big cities and make sure phase 2 is not plagued by the same problems as phase 1?