Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of municipal governments because they represent communities across the country. That is why we are implementing measures to help them, for example, by making the gas tax transfer permanent.
We are proud that the municipalities support our positive measures in relation to the changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act, saying that:
The changes...will allow local governments to spend less time processing paperwork for small...projects...that result in higher costs for property tax payers.
However, the Leader of the Opposition does not trust the municipalities on this issue and says that they merely want to expand their tax base. He said that they refer to local and municipal authorities. They have a direct interest in expanding their tax base, and they have a tendency to approve anything and everything.
While the leader of the NDP is insulting Canadian municipalities, the Conservative government continues to work with them to implement positive reforms that will create jobs and stimulate economic growth.