Government Operations committee  No, I am saying that the system that is already in place ensures that we need to resolve a number of details with the Government of Quebec. Investments are shared between the Government of Quebec and the federal government. My deputy minister went to Quebec City on Monday, where he met with his provincial counterparts.

Government Operations committee  Absolutely.

Government Operations committee  No, of the $4 billion, we want to spend approximately $1 billion or slightly less in Quebec. Some projects fall under provincial or municipal jurisdiction, and we respect that. Among the projects under federal jurisdiction, many concern bridges, airports and ports, for example. I received a number of requests from Sept-Îles, Quebec City and Montreal concerning federal infrastructure.

Government Operations committee  Let me—

Government Operations committee  I'm very pleased to respond. The money is not gone. Capital spending can be rolled over, so it does not disappear. I think our government has been more successful than the previous government. For example, the MRIF program was announced with $1 billion in funding on August 20, 2003.

Government Operations committee  I'm telling you very specifically that it would go for initiatives under our economic action plan—the three specific examples that I cited within my own department—which would be allowed.

Government Operations committee  I've outlined the three specific examples within my department where these funds could be used. One thing I can guarantee you is that those moneys will not end up in the bank account of a political party.

Government Operations committee  First, I must stress that the municipalities come under provincial jurisdiction. We respect provincial jurisdiction. The Quebec National Assembly was quite clear, we must work with it in areas that fall under provincial jurisdiction. I would like to identify such projects more rapidly, in cooperation with the government of Quebec.

Government Operations committee  You're an Ontario member of Parliament, as I am. If I were to unilaterally jump the gun and proceed to announce projects, I don't think either my premier or the minister of infrastructure in Ontario would be terribly pleased with that. We will be spending the $3 billion with respect to my department on the economic stimulus fund, and we will spend it on the environmental fund, and we will spend it on the RINC program.

Government Operations committee  It's absolutely no different, though, from the current Building Canada process. Parliament authorizes funding for Building Canada and that money is then allocated afterwards. You have exactly the same amount of information, I would suggest, that you had last year, the year before, or during the many years that you were in government.

Government Operations committee  I identified three specific programs as part of Canada's economic action plan, and that's exactly where it will go in my department.

Government Operations committee  I'll be very clear and very specific. We identified three initiatives with respect to infrastructure as part of our economic action plan: the economic stimulus fund, which will work with provinces and generally municipalities; the $1 billion environmental fund, for green initiatives; and the RINC program, to do with recreational activities.

Government Operations committee  I think there will be projects that are outlined in our economic action plan, where we've clearly laid out a group of initiatives. I don't have a particular list to table today. What I don't want to do.... I don't mean to be confrontational, but when you're working in partnership with the province and the municipality, it's distinctly unhelpful if one tries to jump the gun and proceed ahead of them, when you have a partnership.

Government Operations committee  I haven't seen the motion as yet.

Government Operations committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I'm very pleased to be here. I appeared before this committee a number of times when I was President of the Treasury Board and I'm glad to be back. Obviously, we're going through some very uncertain economic times, not just in Canada but throughout the industrialized world.