Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. There is no doubt that this is a big concern for us and for our municipalities. Let us not forget that our water systems, among other things, are very old. A lot of our aging infrastructure needs upgrading. It is not at all clear that municipalities will be able to cover 50% of the cost, given their shrinking tax base. Right now, houses are being sold, home values are dropping and businesses are closing. That means that it will be very difficult for our cities to do this work.
In the House of Commons on January 29th, 2009. See this statement in context.