Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Colleagues, I will not be supporting this motion. I really do not think it's necessary.
When Minister LeBlanc appeared before the committee during the meeting on main estimates on Monday, May 30, the minister was asked this question by my colleague, Mr. Barsalou-Duval, to which the minister answered very clearly:
[T]he Minister of Finance has already decided that the provinces that received funding through programs created under federal-provincial agreements, such as a Canada-Quebec or Canada-New Brunswick agreement, must commit the funds to projects by March 31. The funds do not necessarily have to be spent, but the federal government, and...the Quebec government must agree on a list of projects to receive federal funding.
The projects can be spread out over a number of years, and the funds can be disbursed over a period of 10 years after the deadline. If the federal government cannot agree with the Quebec government or New Brunswick government on the list of projects, however, the funds will be recovered by the receiver general of Canada....
[W]e have the same agreement with 10 provincial governments and three territorial governments. A number of them have chosen projects and allocated funding more quickly than Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and New Brunswick.
The Minister of Finance decided...that it would be in the interest of Canada's economy and environment to allocate those funds to projects as quickly as possible.... [T]hat does not mean that the projects will be completed, but a choice has to be made.
Minister LeBlanc also said:
The Minister of Finance is anxious to see these funds allocated to projects. Some premiers, however, including the Ontario premier, are asking me for a 2.0 version of these programs.
My job is to work with all the provinces to determine what a second version of these programs might be.
The minister continues to collaborate with provinces and territories “to determine more specifically how this second version can offer a solution that is in the interests of both Quebec and the federal government.”
In conclusion, again, I will not be supporting this motion, but I would be curious to hear how other members feel about it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.