Thank you for the question and for arranging the meeting with Mayor Pond as well. I very much enjoyed the conversation. As I shared with you earlier today, I again had the chance to speak with him, as well as with my provincial counterpart in British Columbia, about this project and other infrastructure priorities.
This is a great example of how what seemingly looks like a small project on paper can have an immense economic impact. Prince Rupert, as I'm sure everyone around the table knows, is home to a major port that the entire Canadian economy depends upon. To the extent that we have a disaster in the water or waste-water systems in Prince Rupert, it's not just the residents—the residents are important in their own right—but the entire supply chain across the Canadian economy that could be impacted if people who work at the port can't live in the community.
The disaster mitigation and adaptation fund was designed with projects like this in mind, where, if something is to go wrong, we want to protect against the economic consequences that would follow a disaster of the kind you've explained. I won't create a new pattern of ministerial announcements in the middle of a process that's playing out, but my sense is that the fund was designed with projects like this in mind, and I hope to work towards a solution with you as the local MP, as well as Mayor Pond and the provincial government, because I believe that something of national importance, such as the Canadian supply chain, demands the attention of all levels of government.