Mr. Speaker, I completely agree. Ottawa must stop creating obstacles, free up the money and do it fast.
That is not what we are seeing here. During the first phase, just half of the money approved was spent for the reason mentioned. Under the Conservatives, it took two and a half years to develop a framework agreement, and then nearly a year and a half before each project was approved.
This money needs to be made available. The government needs to transfer the money holus-bolus, on a per capita basis, similar to how the gas tax is transferred, but without the conditions. This would help the smaller communities, like the ones that my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable and I represent.