It is hard not to get excited by this program.
I come from Winnipeg and quite frankly mine is one of the poorer constituencies in the country. Last summer is the first time since I was elected to this House that anybody has come up and thanked me that they had an opportunity to work.
Some people are snobbish about building roads, but there are a lot of people in this country who work building roads and they need those jobs. There are a lot of people who drive cars and buses over those roads. There is nothing to be ashamed of for creating a better infrastructure.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry stays on top of all these issues. He points out that in Winnipeg we are going to be rebuilding the road system which allows trucks to exit from the airport more quickly to the south. Part of our overall plan to rebuild the Manitoba economy is around the airport and transportation. We used to be the gateway to the west but that economy has changed. We are now going to be the gateway to the south.
You cannot walk away from the project. It requires capital. It requires investment. The minister for human resources, who is responsible for western Canada and Manitoba, came forward to the provincial and municipal governments. Their response was: "Thank you for putting this together. Thank you for giving us the opportunity. We will throw in some money. We think it is important. Yes, we know it is borrowing money and we know this is expensive, but sooner or later people want to see their governments do something for them".
When I passed by people working this summer one came up to me and said: "Mr. Walker, I have been in Canada for 15 years. I am a little embarrassed. I am still just a road construction guy. My kids are going to college. However, I am working this year". It is important to him. He is not going to be doing anything else, but he is going to be working.
The cultural community in Winnipeg which is so important does not have the capital. However we came up and said: "We are going to help your fund raising effort. We are going to put some money into this. You go to the provincial and municipal governments and the private sector. Let us see if we cannot rebuild your facility. Let us see if we cannot build it up for the first time in a decade". From the looks on their faces it was apparent we were doing something so they might have an opportunity. I can only say this with passion. It must be understood that the relationship between Canadians and their governments requires governments to act on their behalf. There are some very needy people who need our response.