Transport committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. If it's all right, I'm going to say a few words about the organization, and then, David Boulet will take over. My name is Jacques Demers, and I am the mayor of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, reeve of the Memphrémagog regional

Transport committee  Sorry. Is that better?

Transport committee  I'll start over. My name is Jacques Demers, and I am the mayor of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, reeve of the Memphrémagog regional county municipality, or RCM, and president of the Fédération québécoise des municipalités, FQM for short. The FQM represents approximately a thousand

Transport committee  I quite like what Mr. Smith just said. We, of course, need flexibility, so the terms and conditions of the funding need to be examined to ensure the money can be used, especially when more funding is available. Greater flexibility is key. Too often, we are forced to carry out ve

Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. We just heard that the program had been expanded and that it could be used for more purposes. An explanation would be important, because that is not the answer we got, quite the contrary. Municipalities regardless of size, but especially the smaller ones

Transport committee  It is very important and we have been talking about it for a number of years now. The change to the federal gas tax fund is about the use of the funds. The wording has not changed. Previously, municipalities could use the federal gas tax fund for a number of projects. In Quebe

Transport committee  You are mostly right. Large municipalities often employ engineers. We often learn about a program or a grant a few days before the deadline. Smaller municipalities do not have the flexibility to sign up for these programs, whereas the federal gas tax fund is predictable. The tax

Transport committee  You are quite right. We even forget how Quebec was built. Quebec has 1,108 municipalities. We can talk about large and small municipalities, but we forget that barely 100 municipalities have more than 20,000 inhabitants. Only 10 municipalities have more than 100,000 inhabitants

Transport committee  What I hear in Quebec is that it seems to be finally moving forward. A beneficial agreement has just been signed between the federal and provincial governments, announcing $846 million. I think we are making progress. I can complain about projects that I think should be moving

Transport committee  Thank you very much for opening that door. It is really interesting, especially after the problem we have recently experienced in the Gaspé. I will let Mr. Boulet explain the issue, since he is very familiar with it.

Transport committee  You are absolutely right. They must be expanded. We cannot be limited in the use of that money, all the more so now the government has decided to make more significant investments. We must ensure that we use that money well. As I was saying earlier, once we finish repairing all

Transport committee  Municipal buildings, fire stations and community halls are some examples. Also dams, which are major infrastructures that are very expensive. That would be a good place to invest that money. It seems to me that they are exactly the kind of investments that the feds were looking a

Transport committee  I will hand over to Mr. Boulet, who is better able to talk about that.

Transport committee  You are totally right. It is one of the best investments that the government could make. I don't know if people realize how important it is. It is not actually a recurring investment. By investing in this way, you get the fibre into homes and you provide each one with an Interne

Transport committee  I have two answers for you. First, I would say “great job”. We really need a management plan, which I still say must be a rotational plan. Our highway infrastructures are in particular need of maintenance. We know that, after 10 or 12 years, the pavement must be changed and the