Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We just heard that the program had been expanded and that it could be used for more purposes. An explanation would be important, because that is not the answer we got, quite the contrary.
Municipalities regardless of size, but especially the smaller ones, need predictability of funding the most. They need to know in advance whether they will be able to count on these funds. That's why this is one of the best programs. The federal gas tax fund is predictable, and that's fine. We thank the government for that, but there is a lack of flexibility and openness.
Under the first program, municipalities used the funds to plan the construction of a fire station, for example, and now that they are about to build it, they are no longer allowed to use that money. I could give you a number of examples. There was no opening, but there was a closing, and it is easy to demonstrate.