Mr. Rayes, you were formerly a mayor, and the vice chair of the Union des municipalités du Québec. So you are very familiar with this area, and the position that the municipalities take on the matter.
Clearly, all the programs that provide municipalities with more manoeuvring room and autonomy are welcome. In that context, I should recognize the Programme de la taxe sur l'essence et de la contribution du Québec 2014-2018, or what we in the business generally call the TECQ. It is a wonderful example of a program that allows us to act. Thanks to that program, municipalities know how much money they will be receiving each year. The program still has some restrictions, but they have been reduced to an extent. So it gives us room to manoeuvre and a degree of autonomy. That is the kind of approach that we must be moving towards.
Municipalities are a level of government that is very close to the general public. Municipalities are also being asked to consult their residents more, to respond to their needs and to make sure that they take part in democratic life. That requires that they have autonomy in the way they use the funding they have been allocated.