Mr. Speaker, the transport minister has finally acknowledged that our roads and highways need fixing. The NDP has been saying that for years and I am glad to see he has finally gotten the message.
It is too bad that the Liberal government's solution to the problem is all wrong. The Liberal government's idea is to give big cities more power to tax. That way, cities can raise their own money for roads and public transit.
Canadians do not need to pay more municipal taxes. The Liberal government already collects enough taxes, including gas taxes. It just needs to stop hoarding the money in Ottawa so the finance minister can brag about the big surplus.
The other problem with the Liberal government's plan is that it completely ignores rural Canada. Of course urban transit is important, but rural areas need help as well. Once again the Liberal government is showing its anti-rural, anti-northern bias.
Fixing Canada's roads and improving transit is not that hard. Letting big cities raise taxes is not the answer. The Liberal government should spend tax dollars wisely and work co-operatively with all levels of government, provinces, municipalities and first nations, to fix the roads that need fixing in cities and rural areas throughout Canada.