Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the reference to my time as mayor. Perhaps others aspire to that role, but that is another question, and only time will tell.
We have doubled the gasoline excise tax from $1 billion to $2 billion a year. Mayors in cities across the country want predictability; they want to know what is coming down the line. We travelled the country last summer. We held thirteen round tables to look at and gather comments from the provinces and municipalities. No decisions have been made yet.
The global economy is fragile and any decisions we make will take into account the ability of Canadian taxpayers to cover the costs in addition to the global economic situation.
We welcome the member's comments. We know how important infrastructure is for the country, as much for the municipalities as the provinces.