Transport committee  A dialogue first--

Transport committee  --to figure out what the strategy or plan might look like. These things don't happen overnight, as you all know, but I think you have to start somewhere, and this is an excellent place to start.

Transport committee  Not that I've been aware of, no.

Transport committee  Yes, about 40 years.

Transport committee  Oh, heavens, no. Lots of things happened, but I think this is the key issue. Notwithstanding the good things that have happened, the problem is ten times bigger than the existing reality. We have to figure out, in terms of these major growth areas of our city regions across the country, how we're going to meet these needs.

Transport committee  Mr. Chair, thank you for reminding me to mention Sir John A. I think we have to capture the kind of spirit that Sir John A. did in building a railway, under impossible conditions so long ago. I know we can do this, though.

Transport committee  Is it that one there?

Transport committee  Basically, right now we hardly have any of these. We get funding for transit systems from the transit fares, of course, and a certain amount from.... I'll walk you down the list. This is something we've looked at in the context of Metrolinx. We basically figured out, as I said before—that map I showed you of Metrolinx—what we need to build over the next 25 years is a $75 billion cost.

Transport committee  No, but I thought you wanted to walk down the list.

Transport committee  Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak to you. I welcome the chance to share my comments about a national transit strategy to this all-party committee, because transit is an all-party issue across the country. My presentation is mostly visual, so I'll run right through it as quickly as I can.