Mr. Speaker, what I liked most about the hon. member's speech is that when he spoke it came from the heart and it came from some experience he had already. When I listened to him, it could come to light because I come from a rural area much the same as the hon. member and I see what is going on in the municipalities.
I was also a former municipal councillor and I see the shortages. The average age of infrastructure across Canada ranges anywhere between 80 and 115 years. Communities and cities are the basic building blocks for the Canadian economy. Without that infrastructure in place, the communities fall apart. If the communities fall apart, then the economy starts to tremble and it starts falling apart. We need that infrastructure in place and it has to be renewed. I know we can argue about whether it is provincial responsibility or it is federal responsibility but when it comes down to it, it affects all of us and all of us have a stake in this.
Maybe the hon. member could explain how ignoring the infrastructure will affect not only the economy in his riding but also the economy of all of Canada.