Mr. Speaker, yesterday in my riding of Brant I had the privilege of announcing that the city of Brantford would be the first Ontario municipality to receive funding under the Canada-Ontario infrastructure works program.
With 15 per cent unemployment, one can imagine the open arms with which the announcement that $12 million would be spent locally in our community to restore our infrastructure and get our people back to work was received.
Brantford is not the only municipality that feels so strongly about this program. Fully 630 municipalities in our province have made applications for funding.
I would like to congratulate our government for working so expeditiously with the province and with the municipalities to get this program up and running. I would like to say to the Prime Minister how honoured I was to make the announcement, effectively an announcement that makes good his promise to help get Canadians back to work.