Transport committee  This started with Minister Cannon back in April 2006, when he appointed a panel to review the mandate of the National Capital Commission. He asked them to receive submissions and to meet witnesses, and there's a report on that we could give you, if you want. There were a significant number of briefs; I think there were over some 30 briefs presented and 34 meetings held.

Transport committee  Our intent in the plan for Canada's capital was that the employment polls would be identified. That's another reason it's so important to have it approved by government.

Transport committee  I say “government” because that's what's in the legislation.

Transport committee  That's why it's so important. The plan is to have them in there, and that way it has an endorsement. In terms of the policing part, aside from not liking the word, I don't know what you had in mind in terms of enforcing that. But definitely, in the plan for Canada's capital, having employment nodes would be a good thing.

Transport committee  I had read that you thought this was the case. I will let Mr. Mills answer after me, but in my opinion, my powers have nothing to do with the number of meetings or committee structures. I either have the powers or I don't. That's the way it works. I have the powers that have been delegated to me, and the rest does not depend on the number of meetings or committees.

Transport committee  Yes. The Mayor of Chelsea is one of the 13, and there are four mayors who represent municipalities that are affected or benefit from the Gatineau Park. So that's part of the collaboration. We also signed a memorandum of collaboration with the Municipality of Chelsea just a year ago, so there are many more exchanges.

Transport committee  And it may reassure you to know that I spent 15 years working for municipal government, so I really do understand and respect the work they have to do. There is no way we can deliver on our mandate if we don't collaborate with the municipal governments.

Transport committee  The first thing that needs to be very clear is that Gatineau Park is a really important asset in building a capital for Canadians. It is not just a park; it's a jewel in the capital region. Our mandate is to build a great capital for Canadians. Within that, how do we really take care of that park that has such an importance to the capital region?

Transport committee  Yes.

Transport committee  I was going to say yes because of what we do, but mostly it's because when we did the master plan that's where people brought us. They brought us to say “conservation first” in this master plan. That was a decision that was made through the process and that's where we are. So you're right.

Transport committee  First of all, we have to consider the initial situation, the framework in which we work. In many instances, we do not need to obtain government approval for expenditures or the plan. In my opinion, the Chair of the NCC Mandate Review Panel, Mr. Paquet, expressed this aspect the best.

Transport committee  The NCC has always consulted interested parties. I must point out that we are going through quite a transformation when it comes to consultation. We are in the process of completely changing the way we do business, not only to consult but also to engage both stakeholders and the public in the process.

Transport committee  Yes, they will continue to take place as long as they want to meet with us. They've been very eager so far. They will inform the development of the master plan, but they will do much more than that. It's interesting, because there are 13 municipalities of different sizes. My thought at first was about what the common link would be, but things like transportation, environment, the Gatineau River, bicycle paths and cycling are of interest to all.

Transport committee  It's a really tough question, Monsieur Proulx, because we do have some very important sensitive areas in the greenbelt, like Mer Bleue, which has an international designation, a Ramsar designation, that we do maintain with the highest level of protection of the ecosystem. But, again, to apply that ecological integrity concept to the greenbelt, in our mind, is not feasible, because of....

Transport committee  We have to be careful what words we use. An agreement was signed in 1973 governing the transfer of land control and management. This agreement included an exchange of management and control responsibilities. The NCC owned land situated among other places, on Mont-Bleu Boulevard, and the Quebec government owned land in Gatineau Park.