Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the need for this highway and I also know of the vigorous effort put forward by the member for Leeds-Grenville in this endeavour.
I therefore suggested to the provincial government in the springtime that we fund it under the Canada-Ontario infrastructure works program. It did not respond to that and did not put in an application. In fact the provincial government indicated a reluctance.
In the summertime I suggested a strategic transportation improvement program as another way it might be able to rework some priorities to help fund this. That is a shared program as well. The only response came back just a few weeks ago in terms of the proposition of tolls. If the province of Ontario is going to do this by tolls we are not interested in getting into the funding. I also wonder whether it even meets the province's criteria for what would qualify as a toll road.
I would be quite happy and in fact would like to meet with the new minister of transport in Ontario to further explore the infrastructure works program and the strategic transportation improvement program for funding of this necessary project.