When we announced the top-up to the gas tax rebate, I was very pleased to meet with small community mayors. This funding, which is direct funding, allows them to really go on with projects that they had in their plan but they could not finance. What I realized is that this is one of the best ways to support municipalities, because this goes to them directly. As I said, mayors in smaller communities would understand what is needed from their community. I always say mayors know best, because they have to deal on a daily basis with the primary services that need to be provided to citizens. Everywhere I've been travelling, they could tell me about the road extensions that they needed and the drinking water that will make a difference to rec centres.
In small communities, the recreational centre or the sports centre is everything; that's where you bring people together. This is true in my riding, and it's true across rural Canada. Having a rural land and making sure we're there.... I used to say we have a lot of ambition for our regions, and there's a reason for that. Through the funding we have now, whether it's broadband or the northern and rural stream, whether it's the recreational centre or whether it's providing more federal money to finance them, I think we're really making a difference in rural Canada.