Mr. Speaker, for many years, actually for most of the history of this country, the cities had very few dealings with the federal government. The attitude of most federal governments was that cities were a provincial jurisdiction and according to the Constitution they dealt with the provinces, and the federal government dealt with the provincial governments.
It was this government that realized that the cities and the communities across this country needed assistance and it needed to ensure that the federal government had a presence. I would like to congratulate the government for dealing with issues like the GST and the gas tax. It is one way in which we are showing good faith and good judgment in our relationship with the municipalities and cities throughout this country, something which is quite historical and unprecedented. I would like to use this opportunity to once again thank the government.